With or Without You
by TheSecretBar
Summary: What if Luke never kept April a secret? Is L&L's relationship strong enough to withstand a long-lost daughter and her mother who wants Luke all to herself? This is my reworking of season 6. The story starts right after L&L's promise of no more secrets in "The Prodigal Daughter Returns".
1. Chapter 1

"I'm sorry," said Luke softly while he gently rubbed Lorelai's back. They were an exhausted but sated pair of limbs as they lay in Luke's bed with nothing but a sheet covering their naked bodies. Luke was on his back with Lorelai sprawled on his chest, her leg thrown over his.

"For what?" mumbled Lorelai, sleep threatening to take over her relaxed body.

"The way I talked to you. I was upset about Christopher calling, but I should have never talked to you the way that I did."

Lorelai opened her heavy-lidded eyes and lifted her head to rest her chin on his chest. She gave him a sleepy smile, "I just assumed the scene that took place a few minutes ago was your way of saying sorry. You know, most people have _make-up_ sex. We tend to have _sorry_ sex which sounds like it would be really _bad_ sex but it's actually really really _good_ -"

Luke cut her off with a gentle, lingering kiss. He pulled back, her face cradled in both of his hands, and stared into her clear, blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Lorelai."

"I know," she said softly before returning to her comfy spot on Luke's chest.

"I'll get that furniture moved out of your bedroom tomorrow before you get home from work," said Luke as he resumed the gentle rubbing on her back.

"Our."

"Hm?"

" _Our_ bedroom," whispered Lorelai unable to hide the smile that spread across her face.

Despite the slight hiccup earlier in the evening, things had been going exceptionally well for the two of them. They were engaged, the remodel on Lorelai's house was finally complete, and soon Luke would finally move in. The only piece to their puzzle that was missing was Rory.

* * *

The next morning Lorelai awoke to an empty bed and, from the lack of sounds, an empty apartment. She stretched languidly and turned over to check the time on Luke's clock next to the bed. It was already after 8:00 a.m. and she promised Michel she would be at the inn to help him get the library somewhat organized. She reached down towards the floor and grabbed Luke's discarded flannel from the night before. She sat up, putting her arms through the sleeves, and quickly buttoned a couple of random buttons in the middle of the shirt. She stood and made her way over to the kitchen counter where she noticed a note from Luke on the coffee pot. _Coffee is ready to go. I went take care of the old, creepy furniture. See you for lunch -L._ She smiled as she set the note aside and flipped on the coffee pot. While her coffee was brewing, she decided to start getting ready for work. Normally, when she planned on staying at the apartment, she packed her work clothes for the next day. Since last night's sleepover was pretty impromptu, she had to make do with what was already there. Luckily she didn't have any meetings planned for today, so a simple V-neck sweater and slacks would work just fine. She quickly dressed just as the coffee pot started to beep. She poured the liquid gold into her travel mug and headed out the door.

Luke was able to get in touch with Slim and Joe, a few of the guys he and Tom had hired to work on the remodel of Lorelai's house. They agreed to meet him at the house around 9:00 a.m. to help haul the furniture back to Luke's storage unit until he could decide what to do with it. He had really hoped that she would love the furniture. It was antique and classic. It reminded him of her inn's decor. It was a family heirloom that he was all too happy to bring into the home that would maybe one day house _their_ family. But, who was he kidding? The bed was nowhere near comfortable and the mirror on the dresser gave off a far from flattering reflection. He got to the house early so he could start disassembling everything. He figured the least amount of work the guys had to do, after being called at the crack of dawn, the better. He used his house key to let himself in. The house was quiet so he figured Lorelai had brought Paul Anka to Babette's before coming to his apartment last night. He set his keys down on the desk by the phone and noticed the answering machine was flashing, indicating a new message. He went to press play but the conversation they had the night before stopped him. _No more secrets. We have to tell each other everything._ He knew it wasn't going to be easy, considering the history on the topic, but he had to trust her. He had to believe that once she listened to the message that she would fill him in on the content. He turned around and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. He had creepy furniture to get rid of.

Lorelai couldn't believe it. Her mother has been AWOL for god knows how long and where does she end up? At a damn hangar where she's attempting to buy a plane. About thirty minutes into her drive she remembered she was supposed to see Luke for lunch today. It was already peak lunch time at the diner but she wanted to call just in case he started to worry.

"Luke's!" barked the man himself as he dropped off a plate to one of the patrons seated at the counter.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey. Are you on your way?"

"No," she answered with a sigh. "And you will never guess why. My _mother_ is in Oxford right now trying to buy a _plane_ like she's Jay-Z or something. So I am on my way there and I'm hoping I can talk her out of it. I'm guessing it has something to do with Rory moving out. I'll hopefully find out more once I get there."

"Well, speaking of _bizarre_ , this kid came in today-"

"Luke, hon, you know I _love_ your how-much-kids-bug-me rants but I'm turning into the hangar now. I'll call you once I know more, okay?"

"Yeah, let me know. Bye."

* * *

Lorelai drove back home in a daze. Even after everything, it pained her to see her mother so upset. She knew her daughter wasn't exactly living in squalor inside the pool house. Her parents would always take care of Rory. And Lorelai knew that. But money doesn't buy happiness and that was a feeling Lorelai knew all too well. She never wanted there to be bad blood between her daughter and her parents. As relieved as she was that Rory was out from under their roof, she still wasn't sure what exactly happened that caused Rory to leave without so much as a note. It wasn't like her. Of course, neither was dropping out of Yale. Lorelai shook her head slightly at the thought. She couldn't continue dwelling on the past. Yes, she wanted her daughter out of her parents house and yes, she wanted her back at Yale. _One out of two isn't so bad, is it?_ she thought as she made her way through Stars Hollow. She parked in front of the diner and hopped out of her Jeep.

"Luke?" Lorelai called out into the empty diner. It was almost 5:00 p.m. so the dinner rush had not yet started.

"Hey, Lorelai!" said Caesar cheerfully with his head poked out of the kitchen doorway. "Luke's upstairs. You want some coffee or something?"

"Yes, coffee. Put it in a to-go cup for me, please."

Caesar did what was requested and Lorelai made her way upstairs. The apartment was quiet and she thought for a moment that Caesar must have not seen Luke leave when suddenly he rounded the corner causing Lorelai to jump.

"Oh, God! Don't do that!" cried Lorelai with her hand covering her heart. She took a quick sip of coffee before walking over to the kitchen table to set it down.

"Do what? I was unpacking the clothes I brought over for you. I didn't hear you come in."

"Clothes? For what?" She walked over to Luke and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She made her way over to the overnight bag he packed to make sure he brought over more than just a few bras.

"We have no bedroom furniture at the house now. I just assumed it would be more comfortable to sleep in a bed than on the new sofa." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He twisted off the top and took a long pull from the bottle. After grabbing her coffee off the table, he walked into the bedroom area to watch her sort through the clothes.

"It'll be a while before that sofa is worn in enough to actually sleep on it," said Lorelai distractedly. She pulled out a pair of leggings to change into. It had been a pretty exhausting day and she wanted nothing more than to get comfy and watch some t.v. with her man.

"Everything okay?" asked Luke as he watched her change out of her dress pants with a pensive look on her face.

"I still don't know what happened with Rory. I know she's staying at Lane's which means she's back home just not _technically_ back home, you know? And my mother is upset about the whole thing. I just hope she comes to her senses before my dad sees the bank statements and notices he's the proud owner of a private jet." She laid across the bed on her back and sighed loudly.

"Here," said Luke handing over her coffee. She sat up and took the proffered cup from him.

"How was your day? You mentioned something about a kid earlier." She took a quick sip of coffee, watching him carefully. Something about his demeanor shifted with the mention of a kid.

Luke stood up and immediately started pacing. He had been running the scenario through his mind since the little girl came in the diner earlier that day. He felt deep down that the kid had to have been mistaken. But, even if she was wrong, the girl knew him by name and also where he worked. He stopped pacing and turned to face Lorelai who was looking at him expectantly waiting to be filled in.

He took a deep breath. "This kid came in. A girl, she was a little girl. I mean, not _little_ little. Old enough to ride her bike from Woodbridge. That's where she said she lived. She goes to middle school there and they have a science fair coming up on Thursday and she needed to test my DNA. She said it was for a project to see who her _father_ was and that I was the last stop on her list. And before I knew it, she pulled out a piece of my hair and ran off. I didn't know what to do, so I just stared at the door until I noticed Kirk walking around delivering people's plates."

Lorelai gaped at him with knitted brows. There were very few times in her life when she was at a loss for words and this moment definitely ranked high on the list.

"B-but. Uh, I mean…" she stuttered unable to formulate an actual sentence.

"Pretty much how I'm feeling right about now." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and rested his forearms on his thighs. Lorelai scooted over to him and rubbed gentle circles on his back.

"Could this be true?" she asked softly. She only knew about two of Luke's relationships. They didn't discuss past boyfriends or girlfriends, mainly because Lorelai figured Luke had met nearly all of the serious boyfriends that she's ever had. To her, none of that mattered. A person's past was just that, in the past.

Luke sighed and rested his forehead on the heels of his hands. He shook his head slightly. After a moment he turned and met her gaze. He gave her a half-hearted shrug. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"How will you know? Is she coming back to serve you papers or something? Does the mother want child support?"

"I have no idea, Lorelai. All she mentioned was the science fair. I have a feeling that's all this kid cares about." He downed the rest of his beer and carried it over to the sink to rinse out the bottle.

She followed Luke into the kitchen and pulled out a chair at the table. She sat down and crossed her legs. "What kind of mother lets her daughter ambush multiple men to get their DNA samples? I'm _assuming_ there are multiple men if she's comparing the DNA. Which brings me to the question about what kind of women are in your past?"

He hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her comment and what it seemed like she was insinuating. He pulled a chair out and sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. "You've never asked about any of the women from my past. Just like I never asked about the men _you've_ been with, aside from the ones who are public knowledge."

"Well I never had any reason to ask, Luke. That stuff never mattered to me. Of course, it's a whole new ballgame when a kid comes in and snatches a piece of your hair and then takes off." She noticed he was avoiding her glances and stretched out her foot to gently nudge his leg. "We need to talk about this," said Lorelai softly.

"We don't even know if there's anything to talk about," he said quietly, finally looking up and making eye contact. Luke was definitely a man who liked to be in control of his life. He was a healthy eater. He was always in great, physical shape. He was his own boss. He had complete control over his life. The fact that he could have fathered a child, however, made him feel completely anxious.

Lorelai hesitated before asking the big question, the elephant in the room, the first question that came to mind for both of them. "Who would the mother be?"

As much as he wanted people to believe it, Luke wasn't always the hermit that he portrayed. He had been in two long-term relationships, aside from Lorelai, but before Rachel he dated several women. Nothing serious. Nothing ever worth mentioning. But he was always safe. He kept a condom or two in his wallet at all times. He could never be too careful. That all changed, however, once he and Lorelai started dating. She was on the pill and he trusted her completely. The only time they had to be extra cautious was when she was sick and on antibiotics. He would never want to risk something happening that they weren't ready for. Something like the situation they were currently dealing with. Only, it's not Lorelai, it's someone else.

"Anna," whispered Luke so softly Lorelai barely heard him.

She thought for a moment. She had never once heard him or anyone close to him mention an Anna.

"If the kid is in middle school, she'd be about twelve or thirteen right?" asked Luke. Lorelai nodded her head in confirmation. "If it's true it would be Anna. We dated for a few months before the diner opened. It was supposed to be casual but then she told me she loved me and would call all of the time. I had to break it off for both of our sakes."

Lorelai's stomach clenched. She didn't know why the thought of a woman she had never met was starting to bother her. Especially if it was a woman he had once loved. "Did _you_ love _her_?" she asked but a part of her didn't want to know the answer.

"No," he answered without hesitation. "It wasn't a good time for me. I was trying to start a new business and she was dealing with the loss of her dad. It was mostly just physical." He cringed at that admission. He wasn't exactly comfortable talking about his previous, sexual conquests.

Lorelai leaned forward and held out her hands for him to take. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her into his lap. "It's okay that you have a past, Luke. I wasn't exactly wearing a chastity belt when we met," she said with a chuckle. Luke gave her a small smile.

"Can we not talk about this anymore? At least until we know for sure," said Luke as he played with the ends of her curls.

"If that's what you want." She made a zipping motion across her lips and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "What did you want to do tomorrow? It's a rare Saturday when we're both actually off."

"I thought maybe we could go pick out a new bedroom set. They have some great places in New Haven." He patted her leg signaling for her to stand up. Once she obliged, he playfully swatted her butt and walked towards his bathroom with her trailing behind him.

"How do you know about these _great_ places in New Haven?" she asked through the closed door of the bathroom.

"I did help furnish the apartment I shared with Nicole," he called out.

"The apartment you didn't even live in," she muttered under her breath just as he opened the bathroom door.

"Are you still on that?" he asked with a smirk.

"Did you wash your hands?" she shot back.

He held them up to her face and she could smell the cucumber melon hand sanitizer she bought to keep in his bathroom.

"So tomorrow is figured out but what about dinner tonight? I kind of just want to stay in. It's been a long day for both of us," she said stepping into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He immediately encircled her waist and gave the tip of her nose a light kiss.

"I can go downstairs and whip us up something. Any requests?"

"Burger. And fries. And onion rings. And oh! A banana split from Taylor's-"

"I draw the line at going to Taylor's. I'll substitute a pie instead," interrupted Luke in a low, gravelly voice that always made Lorelai melt.

"Deal." Lorelai smiled and leaned in to give him a soft, lingering kiss.

* * *

"Hmm," hummed Lorelai indecisively. They were at the third furniture store of the day and had yet to purchase one thing. This was Lorelai's first time purchasing new furniture for her bedroom and she wanted it to be perfect. Luke was no fool. He knew the inner workings of her mind and was being incredibly patient. He always enjoyed shopping with her and this particular trip was providing a nice distraction from thinking about the little frizzy-haired girl with the giant bike helmet.

"What don't you like about this one? You said you wanted a bed with a wooden frame since the one you had before was a metal one," said Luke as he sat down on the bed, testing it's sturdiness.

"I do, but I don't want painted wood. I want more of a natural wood, kind of like the color of the hardwood floor. Ooh! Look at those chairs! That would be nice, huh? A cozy reading chair to put in front of the windows." She made her way to the rows of armchairs at the back of the store. She bounced on a few of them before finally deciding on one with pastel-colored stripes.

Since the chair was the only thing at that store she wanted, they opted to just load it up in the truck instead of paying to have it delivered. Once Luke had the chair strapped down, he lifted the tailgate back up and rounded the truck. He hopped into the driver's seat, thankful Lorelai had already started the engine considering it was late November and freezing outside. He took one more quick glance at their surroundings and backed out of the parking lot. It was already noon so they opted for a quick lunch before resuming their hunt for the perfect bedroom furniture.

"Since New Haven has proven to be a bust, what do you say we try somewhere else? There's a ton of little cafe's off I-91 going toward Hartford or if you'd rather us venture closer to home we could stop in Oxford to eat. When I went out there yesterday, I did notice a few furniture stores off of Hwy 8." Lorelai looked over at Luke awaiting a response but he seemed to be in his own world. She reached over to lightly stroke his arm. "Hon? Are you okay?"

He nodded but couldn't help continuously glaring at his side mirror. "I thought maybe someone was following us but I don't see them anymore."

"What? Why?" She turned in her seat to look behind them but all she could see was the chair they had just purchased. "You don't think someone wanted my chair and they plan on following us and waiting for us to stop so they could snatch it, do you?"

He shot her a doubtful look and turned his attention back on the road. " _No_ , I do not think they want your chair. And _yes_ , we can go to Oxford." He reached over to grab her hand, intertwining their fingers as he drove.

The trip to Oxford was a success. Lorelai finally found the perfect shade of wood for her bed that also came with matching side tables. She used the colors of the armchair as a focal point for the rest of the bedroom decor. They found a white, wicker lounge chair to go next to the armchair and a huge, white armoire. To add a little more color to the room, Lorelai picked out a dark, green dresser with matching oval mirror. The only downfall was that, since it was a Saturday, the furniture wouldn't be delivered until Monday. They drove back into Stars Hollow a few hours later. Lorelai couldn't wait to offload the new chair, so Luke drove straight to the house. He thanked his lucky stars that he decided to put double doors in the bedroom because, otherwise, there was no way that chair would have fit through it. They set it down in front of the middle window and Lorelai immediately climbed on it. She pulled off her boots and sat with her legs crossed like a pretzel, taking in for the first time her completely renovated, empty bedroom. With the creepy furniture removed, she could really start to imagine how everything was going to look in their bedroom. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of all of their belongings mingling in with one another's. For a moment, she was able to forget about her worries regarding Rory and this possible DNA situation.

"What's with the smile?" Luke asked softly as he kneeled down on one knee in front of the chair.

Lorelai shrugged, "Sometimes I just still can't believe that this is all happening. Me, Lorelai 'Emotional Baggage' Gilmore, is about to be sharing a home with a man she plans on marrying. And nothing about that scares me."

"Well believe it, because I'm not going anywhere," he said softly with a smile. He gave her forehead a quick kiss and stood up, pulling her up with him. "I'm gonna go check in at the diner, did you want me to bring you back something?" They made their way downstairs. She sat on the arm of the couch while he pulled on his fingerless gloves.

"I'll take a coffee and maybe some brownies if you have any made. I'm gonna walk over to Babette's and get Paul Anka unless she left a message saying she took him to that new dog park in Woodbury she was telling me about." She stood and walked over to the answering machine and pressed play.

 **BEEP**. "Hey, Sugga! I'm taking Paul Anka to that new dog park I told ya about. We should be back around six o'clock. Bye!"

 **BEEP**. "Hey, Lor. Haven't said that in a while. Anyway, hope you're good. Hope Rory is good. I wanted to talk to you. Nothing terrifying. I think I have good news. In fact, I know I have good news. Anyhow, I'm hoping you'll call me back and maybe we can meet up somewhere so I can fill you in on the details. Okay, bye."

 **BEEP**.

Lorelai slowly lifted her eyes to meet Luke's gaze. She had completely forgotten that Christopher had even called. With everything else going on, he was most definitely an afterthought. They stood in silence for a moment before Luke spoke.

"What do you think he wants?" He leaned against the wall behind the desk with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know. It could be anything, really. I'm guessing something big since he's reaching out after a whole year of us not speaking to each other." She nervously drummed her fingers on the desk in front of her. She knew eventually they would get past this awkward, Christopher bump in the road but until then she wanted to tread lightly.

"You'll just have to call him and see what he wants," said Luke giving her a small, sympathetic smile.

She exhaled sharply. "I guess, but not today. It was too good of a day to end it with talk of _him_." She walked over and pulled his arms apart so she could wrap hers around his waist and snuggle into his chest. He hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Whatever you decide, just keep me in the loop." He kissed the top of her head and pulled back as she looked up at him. He dipped his head and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll be back in a little bit."

She nodded and gave him another kiss before he grabbed his keys and headed for the diner.

* * *

The next few days seemed to just fly by. Their furniture was delivered first thing Monday morning. Lorelai spent that afternoon and Tuesday morning moving stuff around and reorganizing the bedroom. On Wednesday, she and Sookie sat down and came up with a menu for Thanksgiving. No guests were booked to stay at the inn that day, so Lorelai wanted to take the opportunity to host dinner for their friends and family. By the time Thursday rolled around, Lorelai was exhausted. Her and Luke had barely spent any time together since the weekend and of course Monday night, when she insisted on them christening the new bedroom furniture.

Luke had early deliveries that morning so he was already gone by the time she woke up. She showered and quickly dressed, then headed out the door. She entered the slightly packed diner a few minutes later and made a beeline to an empty stool at the counter. Lane was making the rounds refilling coffee when she noticed Lorelai. She grabbed a cup, filled it with coffee, and slid it in front of her.

"Dish?" asked Lane in a low voice.

"Spill," said Lorelai with intrigue, picking up her coffee cup and taking a quick sip.

"The other day, Rory got a call from this guy. He works at a newspaper. I can't remember the name. But he called to tell her he would give her a reference and since then she's been going there hoping they'll hire her. And I must say, she left the house this morning feeling pretty confident about herself. She was like the old Rory. The Rory before, well, you know."

She exhaled sharply, "Yeah, I do." Lorelai was lost in thought. She wanted nothing more than to call Rory and see what it was she was up to. For Lorelai, it seemed things were starting to look up for her daughter but she wanted Rory to call her and tell her that herself.

"Lane! Order up!" shouted Caesar from the kitchen. Lane walked over and grabbed two plates and hurriedly delivered them to the table in the corner by the window. She checked on the other patrons before returning behind the counter.

"Where's Luke?" asked Lorelai as she motioned to Lane for a refill.

"Oh, his supply order came in today. You know what you want?" She topped off Lorelai's cup and grabbed her order pad.

"Jack omelet and a side of bacon, please. I'll be right back." She stood and made her way towards the store room. She found Luke staring at a jar of pickles, unaware that she had entered the room.

"Should I leave you two alone?" asked Lorelai with a chuckle.

"Oh, hey." He turned back to the box he was unpacking and grabbed another jar.

"Are you okay? You look like you have something on your mind." She grabbed his box cutter and sliced open another box.

"I'm just feeling a little anxious about today. I haven't decided if I want to go down there or not." He sliced the bottom of the box he unloaded and flattened it out.

"What's going on today?" asked Lorelai distractedly as she started shelving some containers of salad dressing. And then it hit her. How could she have forgotten this major event that was coming up? "The science fair. Oh, Luke I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot. This week has just been so crazy." She walked over to him and hugged him around the neck. She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "You don't know if you're going? Why the hell not? How could you not want to know?"

He pulled away from her and started pacing around the room. "What if it _is_ me? And I walk in there with all these people judging me and thinking 'What asshole doesn't know he had a kid out there?' and then what? Huh?"

"Luke, you not knowing you possibly had a kid out there all this time does _not_ make you an asshole. Whoever _thinks_ that is the asshole. And if the mother thinks that of you well, that's a whole other issue." She paused for a moment. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Luke exhaled loudly, letting his head fall forward. After a few seconds he finally looked up at her and said, "No. I'll go alone. If I'm gonna be uncomfortable I'd rather you not witness it."

Her chest tightened at the thought of Luke dealing with the news alone. They hadn't yet discussed what would happen if the results were positive and as much as she wanted to be there for him, she had to respect his wishes and not push him.

There was a knock on the door and Lane popped her head in. "Your breakfast is ready, Lorelai."

"Thanks, I'm coming." She waited until Lane closed the door and then turned back to face Luke. "I have a meeting today after lunch. I'll have my cell on me. If you need to talk, please call me. Okay?"

He nodded and she turned to walk towards the door. He grabbed her wrist and spun her back towards him. He captured her lips with his as she brought her arms up and around his neck, deepening the kiss. He walked her backwards without breaking the connection until her back was up against the wall. About a minute into their impromptu make-out session, the door to the store room flew open causing them to break apart like two teenagers caught in the act.

"Lorelai, the diner is for people who are actually dining. I've been waiting ten minutes for a seat and Lane won't let anyone have your stool at the counter," said Kirk, totally oblivious to the scene that was taking place before he barged in.

"Get the hell outta here, Kirk, or you'll be eating your breakfast on the street after I toss you onto it," growled Luke. Without a peep, Kirk quickly backed out of the room.

Lorelai sighed slightly and leaned her head back against the wall. "I better get back out there before Kirk does something gross with my food." She propelled herself off of the wall and stood in front of Luke, forcing him to look her in the eyes. She gave him a small smile which he returned. "I'm here if you need me, Hon." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll see you later." He watched her walk out of the store room and wished that none of this was happening. Even if the results weren't positive, this whole ordeal had stirred up something inside him. Part of him felt so disappointed in himself that he gave someone the impression he wouldn't want to know that he was a father. The other part of him felt helpless. There was nothing he could do to get the years back that he missed out on. He checked his watch and started counting down the hours until his life may or may not change forever.

* * *

 **A/N:** This first chapter is basically missing scenes from 'The Prodigal Daughter Returns'. The next chapter will combine the end of TPDR with 'He's Slippin' 'Em Bread…Dig?' and also the missing month of December from season 6.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke parked his truck in front of the diner and cut off the engine. He barely remembered the drive back to Stars Hollow. All he did for the entire drive was play the conversation he had with April over and over in his head. His cell phone had died just as he pulled up at the middle school. He didn't realize it until he left the science fair, wanting to call Lorelai to tell her about his daughter. _My daughter_ he thought, shaking his head in disbelief. The interaction definitely wasn't what he expected. April seemed completely fine with the fact that she had a father out there that didn't know about her. _How can she be so calm about this? I'm going crazy._ Luke opened the door and climbed out of his truck. It was after 7:00 p.m. and the diner was packed with it's usual dinner patrons. He didn't feel like being bothered by anyone so, instead of using the front entrance, he walked around and went in through the back door. He walked quickly up the stairs and through the door to his apartment.

Over the weekend, they had started boxing up a few of his things that he would be taking over to the house. Lorelai had most of what they needed except, of course, proper cookware. Most of his kitchen was packed away in boxes but the bedroom side remained untouched. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked over to check his messages.

 **BEEP**. "It's Caesar! I tried to call your cell. I wanted to remind you that I need to leave by at least eight tonight. Please don't forget. Bye."

 **BEEP**. "Luke, Hon, it's me. I tried calling you but it went straight to voicemail. I'm getting a little worried. I thought I would have heard from you by now. It's seven o'clock and I'm at home. Oh, someone's beeping in. I gotta go. Call me, okay?"

 **BEEP**.

He grabbed the cordless phone and sat down on his chair in the living room with a loud sigh. He dialed Lorelai's house number but all he got was a busy signal. He tried her cell but it just rang and rang. Finally her voicemail picked up and he left her a message. He kept it short, not wanting to tell her the news over a message, and stood up to put the phone back on the cradle. He placed the unopened beer back in the fridge and decided to head downstairs and help out until he heard from Lorelai.

She couldn't believe it. Her daughter was home. Her daughter had a job. Her daughter was going back to _Yale_. Her heart felt so full. The final piece to her puzzle was in it's place and she couldn't wait to tell Luke.

"Shit!" she whispered as she searched the front lawn for the cordless phone that she tossed to the side when Rory had pulled up. It was still turned on from her call with Rory, so if Luke tried to call her it wouldn't have gone through. She dashed inside the house, while Rory drove over to Lane's, in search of her cell phone. She checked her purse on the table next to the phone but came up empty. She ran upstairs when she remembered she brought it into the bedroom earlier while changing just in case Luke called her. She flipped it open and saw she had a missed call and voicemail, both from Luke. "Shit, shit, shit."

His message was very vague. He was back, he was closing for Caesar tonight, and that once she got his message come and see him at the diner. His defeated tone is what worried her. _Did he sound relieved or worried?_ she thought as she made her way back downstairs. She grabbed her coat and scarf and ran out the door.

A few minutes later she burst through the diner's door, startling Luke. He was wiping down one of the tables, lost in his own thoughts.

"Rory's back!" she said excitedly trying to catch her breath.

"What? When?" he asked, forgetting about his own issues for a moment.

"Just now! I was leaving you a voicemail and she beeped in and then she came to the house and I threw the phone and we hugged and now she's at Lane's getting her stuff." She took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table he was wiping down. "I've been calling you. What happened?"

He hated himself. Here his fiancée was, sitting in front of him and completely happy about her daughter being home. But it didn't matter. As soon as she saw the worry and grief in his eyes, she knew.

"Oh my god," she whispered as her eyes filled with tears. She closed her eyes tightly, willing the tears to stay at bay.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the rolled up report that April had given him. He handed it to Lorelai and collapsed into the chair next to hers. The first thing she noticed was the name.

"Is the mother who you thought it was?" she asked quietly trying to control her emotions.

Luke nodded and watched her thumb through the pages. He had stopped on his way home to purchase the scientific dictionary that April had mentioned but he hadn't had a chance to look at it yet.

"Lorelai," said Luke in a raspy voice as he placed his hand over hers to still it. "We don't have to do this right now. Go be with Rory. You've been waiting for this to happen for six months. We can talk about this tomorrow."

Lorelai knew Luke would always want her to put Rory first, but this was big. Huge. This was something they would _both_ have to deal with eventually. But for a few hours tonight, she could give what energy she had left to her daughter. Her and Luke could start fresh with whatever plans they needed to make tomorrow.

She nodded. "Okay. I told her I would bring home burgers, fries and snacks. You up for it?"

"You bet," he said softly. He patted her knee and before he could stand up she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He hugged her back and it was the first time since the news that he felt himself relax a little bit. He kissed the side of her head and pulled away to stand up. She stood with him and made her way behind the counter. She grabbed a to-go box and filled it with several donuts. She placed the container near the cash register and popped her head into the kitchen.

"I'm going to Taylor's to get us some ice cream. I'll be right back." She gave him a small smile.

The cold, November air was a welcoming feeling. She took a deep breath to try and steel herself but it was no use. The tears started flowing as a sob caught in the back of her throat. She felt so bad for Luke. _How can someone do this to him? He would make a great father. He deserved to know_ she thought. After a few minutes, she quickly dried her face and entered Taylor's soda shoppe. 

* * *

Luke tossed and turned the whole night. It was bad enough he had the news of having a 12-year-old child to deal with but he also slept terribly without Lorelai. He wanted to give her and Rory some time alone together, so he spent the night at his apartment. By 5:00 a.m., he could no longer just lay there so he got up and quickly showered. He dressed and made his way downstairs to start prepping the kitchen for breakfast.

Lorelai tried her best to be chipper all night and this morning for her daughter. From making her put sugar on her toes to showing her the hat box filled with little things she had wanted to share with her, she was pulling out all the stops. She wasn't ready to share the news of Luke's newfound fatherhood just yet. They hadn't discussed if they would be telling the townspeople, so she was thankful, when they arrived at Luke's for breakfast, to see him acting like everything was fine. At least, up until Rory asked him if anything new had been going on. He panicked slightly but recovered and Lorelai helped to brush it off by pretending not to know what he was talking about.

The gravity of the situation hit Lorelai hard when Sookie brought up the fact that her and Luke could finally set a wedding date. She lied and said she already told him but immediately regretted it once she saw her friend start to hyperventilate over the good news. She wasn't sure what their plans would be now and she made a mental note to bring it up once her and Luke actually had time to talk.

Her list of to-do's seemed to be piling up. On top of everything else, she still hadn't reached out to Christopher. It was a week ago that he left the now infamous message on her machine and it was the last thing she felt like dealing with. She was grateful that Rory offered to call and go see him instead.

When Rory left to go meet with her advisor at Yale, Lorelai took the opportunity to try and see if Luke was ready to talk. He said he would meet her at the house so she sat outside on the steps to wait for him. He pulled up five minutes later and gave her a disapproving look as he climbed out of his truck.

"It's freezing out here, what are you doing?" He walked up and held out his hands, helping her to her feet.

"It's not _that_ cold." She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. She lead the way inside the house and they stood in the foyer removing their coats.

They sat down on the couch in silence for what felt like hours.

"So…" she prompted, trying to get Luke to start the conversation. When he didn't take the lead, she asked, "How was your night?"

"I didn't sleep much," he said quietly. His hands were folded in his lap and he was staring down at the floor. He took a deep breath. "It was so weird. Yesterday. I walk in and there's this giant poster with three guys' faces on it. Mine in the middle with a big circle around it. And there she was just sitting there reading a book without a care in the world. She looked up, completely surprised to see me, and I mentioned something about a potato clock. I don't know, I guess I was in shock. She gave me the report and I noticed the name which told me what I already figured. And then I asked if she thought I should stay for her presentation and she asked why." He laughed bitterly. "It was like the only interest in this whole thing was the science behind it and not the man responsible."

"Oh, Hon. I'm sure that's not it. She's had years to get used to the fact that she had a dad out there somewhere. You've only technically known she's existed for a day. Give it time, you'll see." She moved over to him on the couch and looped her arm through his. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"What do I do? Do I call them? Do I just go over there? They know that I know about the results. Should I just wait and see if they contact me?" He stood and started pacing in front of the fireplace.

"I think you just need to take some time and digest this. Give it a few days. You're getting all worked up, Luke." She hesitated for a minute before bringing up the next topic of discussion. "I know it's weird timing but how would you feel about us starting to plan our wedding?"

"Lorelai," he said with a sigh. He stopped pacing and returned to his seat next to her on the couch. He turned to face her and she watched him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. "I don't see myself being able to focus on anything else right now. At least, not until I get in touch with them."

"That's okay, Luke. I can just start on the small things, nothing major. I'll even have Sookie help me. She's dying to start planning it anyhow and this way she won't think something's up if I tell her we have to put off the plans _again_."

"You're sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm not in this with you." He reached out and took her hands in his. He gently rubbed the backs with his thumbs in soothing circles.

"I'm sure. And I promise to keep you filled in so you're not blind-sided on the wedding day." They gave each other a smirk before leaning forward and sharing a soft kiss.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Rory offered to call Christopher and see what it was he wanted to tell us. After all, he did say the news would be good for both her and I," said Lorelai with a shrug.

"I'm fine if you two want to go see him. I would just like to know about it before hand." He tucked a curl behind her ear and gave her a small smile.

"I know but he needs to learn to go to Rory first. He can _not_ always go through me. That's one of the problems." She turned so that she could lean her back against his chest. "So are you still okay with closing the diner on Thursday and eating at the inn?"

"I already told you I was," he answered softly. He moved his arm and wrapped it around her chest and kissed the top of her head.

"I know but that was before…everything. I just wanted to make sure." 

* * *

It was already Wednesday and Luke had not heard from neither April nor Anna. He took Lorelai's advice in letting the news digest for a few days. Things definitely felt less overwhelming but he still wished that he knew how April and Anna were taking the news. _Do they even care?_ he thought as he methodically wiped down the counter in the diner. _They've been fine on their own for twelve years, what would they need me for?_ His thoughts were interrupted by Liz babbling on and on about needing to use his oven to bake her rolls for Thanksgiving. He thought for a moment about sharing the news with her but decided against it. Until he knew what role he was going to have, Luke wanted to keep things quiet.

Lorelai was seated at the table with a bridal magazine she picked up at Bootsie's Newsstand when Rory came in through the front door.

"Mom!"

"Kitchen!" She looked up to give her daughter a quick once-over. "Well you look okay and I don't see any tears. How'd it go?" asked Lorelai as she continued perusing through her magazine.

"It was good. He was kind of bummed you weren't there but I told him you were putting the final touches on our Thanksgiving shindig tomorrow." She reached over and slowly closed the magazine, giving her mother an expectant look.

"Sorry. It's been a few years since I had a reason to buy one of these." She slid the magazine to the side and gave her daughter her full attention. "So. What did your dad want?"

Rory broke down the conversation she had with Christopher. She mentioned all the things he was willing to buy for the two of them and that she told him she wanted to discuss it with Lorelai before giving him an answer. Lorelai nodded her approval. They both agreed that him paying for Yale would be the best option.

"Good for him. And _you_. He owes you, kid. Better late than never, right?"

"Right. I'll go call and tell him to meet me tomorrow before our dinner." Rory grabbed her cell phone and went into her room.

Lorelai grabbed her magazine and flipped it back open. 

* * *

Luke was actually grateful that he didn't have to cook for Thanksgiving this year. Although, it would have been a welcome distraction from the nagging thoughts in his head. Luckily for him, his sister was able to provide that distraction instead. Once he got the smoke in his apartment cleared out, Luke called over to the inn to make sure it was okay for Liz and her twelve dinner guests to join them. Lorelai assured him that, with three turkeys, there was plenty enough food to go around. He quickly showered and headed over to the Dragonfly.

Almost everyone had arrived and the Renaissance fair regulars were proving to be quite good at providing the dinner entertainment.

"Hey, Hon, when did you sneak in?" asked Lorelai as she leaned over and gave Luke a quick kiss.

"A couple of minutes ago." He gave her a small smile.

"Well, Sookie would like you to help carve if you're up for it. But I want to talk to you first." She motioned for him to follow her out of the dining room so they could talk privately.

"So, Rory went to see Christopher yesterday."

"Oh, yeah?" Luke shifted his stance a little bit at the mention of Christopher.

"Yeah. Apparently he's come into a lot of money, family money. And he offered Rory and me lots of things we didn't want or need, but Rory took him up on his offer to pay for Yale. It was her idea and I support it. That's it. So he's going to be financing her tuition this year and next year and, um, they got together today at a diner to finalize it, and that's it." She took a deep breath and waited for his reaction.

"Good for her. I think that's great. He owes her that and honestly it's about time he steps up and takes care of his kid." In saying those words aloud, it suddenly dawned on Luke that maybe he should do the same. If April and Anna didn't want a relationship with him, he could at least provide monetary compensation and try to help them out.

"That's what I said. And Luke, I just want you to know that this doesn't mean he's doing anything for _me_ or that he and I will be talking more. This is between him and Rory."

"I know. And thank you for keeping me in the loop."

"Thank _you_ for understanding." She stepped into him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"I'm gonna go carve." He walked back through the dining area and into the kitchen. Since clearly his help was not needed, he ducked into the pantry. He wanted to make the call while he still had the nerve and was fired up about his previous conversation with Lorelai about Christopher being a provider. His nerve was quickly lost when he heard his daughter's voice on the answering machine indicating they weren't home. They were most likely enjoying the holiday with friends or family that they've probably known for years. A pang of jealousy hit him in the gut. _I should have been a part of that equation._ He returned to the table just in time for the food to be served, trying his best not to let the feeling of disappointment show on his face.

Later on that evening, as they were getting ready for bed, Lorelai noticed Luke had not said much since they got home.

"Hey. What's going on in that head of yours?" She pulled back the comforter on her side and climbed into bed. Luke was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

He pushed himself into a seated position and stared down at his hands. "I called over there today. To Anna's house."

"Really? When?"

"After Sookie kicked me out of the kitchen. I don't know, I got this sudden urge to call and let them know that if they needed anything from me, I would provide it." He rubbed one of the calluses on his palm, a nervous habit that Lorelai picked up on years ago.

"What did she say?" She turned to face him, crossing her legs like a pretzel.

"Nothing. No one answered. To hell with it, right? I tried to reach out. I did my part," said Luke trying desperately to convince himself that that's how he should feel. Lorelai knew better.

"Luke." She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling it into her lap. "I know you don't mean that. You wouldn't have called at all if that's how you really felt." She braced herself for what she was about to say next. "You are _not_ Christopher."

"I'm an absentee father. It feels pretty similar. And now _he's_ stepping up and doing the right thing."

"Hey," said Lorelai tugging on his hand so that he would look at her. Once he did she continued, "You are _not_ an absentee father. You weren't even given the chance to prove how _amazing_ you would be. The door was _always_ open for Christopher and he refused to use it. And now he thinks because he has money that it'll wash away all the hurt he's caused over the years, but it doesn't work that way. Yes, I'm glad he's doing this for Rory. And yes, I think you should have a relationship with April but on _your_ time, Luke. Don't let what Chris is doing now influence how you feel." She waited for his response for what felt like forever. He finally looked over at her and she could see the self-doubt in his eyes.

"You really think I can do this?" he asked quietly.

"Without a doubt," she answered without hesitation.

He reached out and pulled her face towards his. He kissed her long and slow, eventually rolling them over so that she was pinned underneath him. Lorelai wanted so badly to keep reassuring him that he could, in fact, be a great father but at this moment he needed to be in control. And she was more than happy to let him take the lead. 

* * *

A month later, Lorelai and Rory were at the mall. It was three days until Christmas and they had spent the morning getting any last minute gifts they could think of. While walking around, they spotted a little travel kiosk filled with brochures.

"Hey, when did you say you start back at school?" asked Lorelai as she perused the brochures.

"When the spring semester starts, second week of January. Why?"

Lorelai snatched the brochure she was looking for and held it out for Rory to see. "How about a little, belated 21st birthday weekend?!"

Rory nodded her approval as she glanced over the brochure for Atlantic City. "I'm listening," she said as they started walking again, arms looped together.

"We can do it right. Play 21 while pretending you're _turning_ 21\. We'll buy our 21 things. We might have to come up with a different plan for the 21 guys thing considering I'm engaged now but what do you say? We can go after New Year's! _And_ I saw a billboard the other day advertising that Paul Anka would be there. The real one!"

"Well, who could say no to that?" chuckled Rory. They stopped in front of a Williams-Sonoma store and a thought occurred to Rory. "Hey, is everything okay with Luke? He seems a little distracted lately and I thought for sure he would have moved in by now."

Lorelai's stomach clenched. They still hadn't told anyone about April. It killed her to keep this secret from her daughter but, until Luke gave her the green light, Lorelai was keeping her lips sealed. Him moving in was a whole other issue. She was willing to be patient knowing that Luke was feeling a little out of control at the moment. She made a mental note to bring the topic up again with him.

"He's fine, Sweets. The holidays just make him a little crabbier than usual." It wasn't a total lie. "And he doesn't want to intrude on our time before you go back to school."

"If you say so." Rory nodded towards the store. "How about a brand new pot set to entice him into finally moving in once I'm gone?"

"Oh, you are _so_ my daughter." 

* * *

One thing Lorelai learned about Luke early on was that the man knew how to pick out jewelry. From earrings to necklaces to her beautiful engagement ring, he truly had a knack for this sort of thing. Which is why she was kind of disappointed in his choice of Christmas gifts this year. _I guess there's a reason he usually sticks to jewelry_ she thought as she smelled the new perfume he got her, trying hard not to cringe at the faint smell of Lysol _._

He tried. He was actually starting to feel more like his old self. He poured most of his energy into work and before he knew it, it was a few days before Christmas and he hadn't bought anything for Lorelai. It wasn't that he forgot. Well, technically, he did but he meant to get with Liz and check out her new collection before she and TJ left town for the holidays. He learned a thing or two about the different styles of jewelry after spending seven weeks in Maine a year and a half ago. He found himself wandering around the mall. He hated the mall. Especially during the holidays when it was filled with people and loud music and a fake Santa Claus. He ducked into Macy's feeling completely out of his element. Everything felt so foreign to him, even the jewelry counter. Nothing even remotely resembled the type of necklaces and earrings that Liz made. The stuff he knew for a fact that Lorelai loved. He needed to get back to the diner so he grabbed a beanie with some purple, yellow, and pink knitted patterns on it and a matching knitted, striped scarf and made his way to the perfume counter. He asked for whatever the most popular scent at the moment was and the counter attendant happily wrapped up a bottle. This stuff would do for now and he could come up with a way to make it up to her later on.

"Did I tell you what Rory and I decided to do for her birthday?" she asked as she placed the perfume bottle back into the box, closing it up and hoping to never have to smell it again.

"Nope," he answered distractedly as he picked up torn wrapping paper off of the floor. They had opened presents all together at the house before Rory left to go to Mrs. Kim's where Lane was currently staying following her breakup with the band and Zach.

"Atlantic City where Paul Anka will be headlining! I can't wait. It's been ages since I've taken a trip anywhere." She stood and grabbed Luke's unopened box of brand new pots. Luke followed as she carried it into the kitchen and placed it on top of the table.

"And when does this trip take place?" he asked as he sliced open the top of the box with his pocket knife.

"In two weeks. We're planning on leaving the Thursday after New Years and coming back Sunday afternoon since she starts school on that Monday. Man! Does your fiancée know how to pick a set of pots or what?!" She unloaded all the pots from the box and watched as he inspected them before reluctantly agreeing.

"And speaking of her starting school, I told her that was why you hadn't moved in yet. She asked and that was the only reason I could think of." Lorelai watched Luke carefully. He was so enamored with his new pots she almost thought he wasn't listening.

He was. An idea occurred to Luke when she mentioned him moving in. If she was going to be gone for a few days, that would give him plenty of time to move the rest of his stuff into the house. He wanted it to be a surprise so he tried to divert the conversation.

"It wasn't a total lie. I know you two needed that time together. Let's just wait until things settle back down with everyone. How about I make you a gumbo for dinner? This pot will work great. I just need to run to Doose's and get some stuff. You need anything while I'm out?"

Lorelai felt a pang of disappointment in her chest. She knew eventually Luke would come around and she had to let him do it on his own. No pushing. She swept aside those feelings and decided she would do her best to enjoy what was left of this crazy year. Her and Luke could start completely fresh after the New Year. 

* * *

**A/N:** One of the things that bugged me (aside from Luke even having a kid) is that the writers made him way too okay with it. So, the Luke in MY season 6 is definitely not okay and I always thought that if he just let Lorelai in on the situation, she would be completely supportive. I hated that he confided in Liz and not Lorelai so I took that out as well. I'm trying my best to keep Christopher out of Lorelai's life. Any interaction he had with her will be replaced with Rory, which is how it should have been originally.

Also, I thought it would be funny to mention the horrible smelling perfume that Lorelai tells Rory Luke gave her for Christmas (ep 6.17) and the scarf and beanie is the one she wears to Yale when her and Rory are supposed to be dressed "crazy" (ep 6.13). Kudos if you picked up on that!

The next chapter will combine 'The Perfect Dress' with 'Just Like Gwen & Gavin' for those trying to keep up with where I'm at in the season.


	3. Chapter 3

Luke placed his shaving cream, deodorant, and toothpaste on the counter. From the looks of it, Lorelai had claimed the right sink so his stuff took residence on the left side. He walked into the bedroom and grabbed his flannel shirts, still attached to their hangers. After placing them in the closet, he checked his watch. It was almost noon. Lorelai and Rory would be returning from their trip to Atlantic City within the hour. He took one more look around the room, _their_ room, and made his way downstairs and out the door.

Lorelai knew right away that something was different. She walked into her bedroom and noticed it smelled more Luke-like than normal. Her thoughts were confirmed when she went to unpack her toiletries and noticed her sink looked a lot more cluttered than it did before she left. She couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.

"Luke's!" answered the man himself.

"I asked you if you were bad while I was gone," she purred into the phone as she sat down on the armchair in the bedroom.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he smirked trying to play coy.

"Mmhmm. I meant what I said about wearing that t-shirt tonight, Mister. Consider that your punishment for lying to me."

"I did _not_ lie to you," he chuckled. It felt good to have her home. Even if it was just three days, and even if she apparently drunk-dialed someone else, it was the longest they'd been apart since getting back together almost a year ago.

"It was a lie of omission no matter how good the intent," she teased. She wasn't upset with him. She was sublimely happy. She couldn't wait to move forward with plans for their future.

* * *

And those plans were put into motion the next day when Sookie insisted they get together at the diner to begin wedding prep. A few months ago, Luke had given her the okay to start planning but was a little reluctant to join in. Now, it seemed like he _wanted_ to be included which made Lorelai's heart swell. She couldn't resist, however, letting Sookie tease him about not putting in his opinion. It was like the good old days, and Lorelai was loving it.

They started packing up their magazines and planners once the diner started to get even busier. Lorelai handed her keys to Sookie and told her to go start the Jeep. She waited at the end of the counter for Luke to pass by.

"Two and a half hours. That might be a record. You should have made it an even three just for the hell of it," said Luke sarcastically as he rounded the corner of the counter where Lorelai stood. He started wiping it down, avoiding eye contact.

She exhaled sharply. "Luke. Don't be mad. Look." She gestured behind her to the now vacated table. "We're leaving. We're driving down to Beacon Falls. Apparently the best place to find wedding invitations is there, according to Sookie. So, I guess I'll see you later." She stepped to her left to head for the door when he finally spoke.

"I'm not mad. I was a little _frustrated_ but not mad." He stepped out from behind the counter and they walked outside together. She turned around, leaned into him, and gave him a soft kiss. He pulled back and gave her a smile. "Go. Before Sookie starts-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Sookie started honking the horn from inside the Jeep. Lorelai couldn't help but laugh. "You see what I have to deal with? Consider yourself lucky, Burger Boy." She gave him one more quick kiss and climbed into her Jeep.

She didn't mean to do it. It's just that things just quickly fell into place after buying that dress. That _perfect_ dress. In need of _no_ alterations. She was hoping that, with the wedding plans taken care of, Luke would be able to make up his mind on whether or not he was going to try and reach out to April again. It was almost two months ago that they got the news of him being a father and they've yet to make contact. She did feel a little guilty for taking over the plans for the wedding completely but things could still be moved around if need be. They still had five months to figure everything out. But she was holding out hope that all of this happening in one day was definitely a sign.

"That is not a sign. That is weather." He exhaled softly and placed his hands on his hips.

"No, this is more than weather. This is fate." She paused for a moment. "I think it's time, Luke. It's been two months. You've moved in and the wedding is all planned. Unless, of course, anything that I mentioned doesn't work for you. We have time to make any changes."

He pursed his lips and stared down at the floor. He took a deep breath and finally looked up at her. "Okay. I'll drive out there tomorrow."

"Really? Oh, Luke that's great. Did you want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I need to do this on my own." He took another deep breath and smiled. "June 3rd, huh?"

"June 3rd," she repeated with a smile.

"That's soon." He was unable to hide his smile at the thought of actually marrying this amazing woman standing in front of him.

"I know!" She squealed as she reached for his face to give him a quick kiss. "OK, I better get back home before the snow gets any worse. Oh, and I picked out your _tuxedo_. You can stop by the place anytime you want, and _they_ were running a special, so the alterations are free."

"I'm almost done cleaning up in here. I'll be home in about twenty minutes." _Home_ he thought as he locked the door behind her. He couldn't wipe the sappy grin off of his face. He only hoped that tomorrow would go just as well as today did.

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai was sitting on the armchair in their bedroom pulling on her white Ugg boots while Luke fastened his watch onto his wrist.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, standing up to adjust the legs of her jeans over her boots.

"Kind of. It's been a long time since I've seen Anna. I'm not even sure what I'm gonna say." He grabbed his baseball cap from on top of the dresser and placed it on his head.

"Maybe you'll know once you see her and get a feel for her vibe." She led the way downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Her _vibe_?" he asked as he grabbed her travel mug and filled it with coffee.

"Yeah. You know, if she seems annoyed or angry that you're there you can go for a more professional tone but if she seems happy to see you, but hopefully not _too_ happy if you know what I mean, then you can be more relaxed and actually talk about what it is you want." She paused for a moment. "Do you know what you want?"

Luke thought about it for a minute. "I don't want to intrude on their life. They have their thing and we have ours. I just want Anna to know that if she needs anything, for _April_ , I'm here." He handed over her mug.

Lorelai nodded her approval. "I think that makes sense. Build the foundation first." She took a quick sip of her coffee. "What time are you heading over there?"

"I'm going to the diner to cover some of the lunch shift and then I'll head out to Woodbridge at about one o'clock. You still going check out Rory's new apartment?" They walked into the foyer to put on their jackets.

"Yep. I have to stop at Gypsy's first to get gas. After I check out the new digs, we're going to lunch. Call me when you're on your way home. If we're both heading back at the same time, I might see you on the road and we can pretend we're using walkie talkies." She locked the front door and followed him down the front steps. He walked her over to her Jeep and held the door open so she could climb in.

"They made it against the law to drive while on your cell phone." He leaned into the car to give her a kiss.

"I'm a rebel without a cause, Baby." She smiled and gave him another quick kiss.

After her tour of the very tiny, very dingy apartment, Lorelai was glad to be heading to lunch. They walked the couple of blocks to the pub. After placing their orders, and a plate of fries for the table, Lorelai started filling Rory in on all the completed details for the wedding.

"How did all this happen?" asked Rory, shocked that her mother could pull something off so quickly.

" _Well_ , I found this dress, the perfect dress and from the dress, all the other details fell into place. By the end of the day, I was done." She took a quick sip of her water.

"That's great!" said Rory happily as she grabbed a fry and popped it into her mouth.

"It _is_. And I thought for sure that I would be freaking out by now because of how I freaked out about Max. But that's how I know that this is right. Luke and I are right." She grabbed a fry and dredged it through the ketchup on the plate before taking a bite.

"Aw, Mom. I'm so happy. This is all good." She beamed at her mother.

"I hope so," she said with a happy sigh. Despite her optimistic outlook on everything, Lorelai couldn't help but wonder if things were going to change for her and Luke with him having more of a presence in his daughter's life. Her thoughts were interrupted with more wedding talk from Rory.

"So, tell me about my dress."

Luke had checked the phone book at the diner to make sure he had the right address to the Nardini residence. When he pulled up, he noticed that the house doubled as some sort of store as well. He parked on the side and made his way up the porch steps.

Anna was standing at the stove when she heard the door of a vehicle close. She walked quickly to peer out of the window and her heart fell into her stomach. _Luke Danes_ she thought with a smirk as she smoothed her hair into place just as he knocked on the front door.

She couldn't hide the grin on her face when she opened the door and saw him standing in front of her, after thirteen long years. She felt a pang of disappointment, however, when he didn't exactly return the smile. She knew why. _But he did come here so maybe it won't be that bad_ she thought as she lead him through her rather small living room and offered him some tea. His nervous energy actually made her feel a lot more calm. When he mentioned that he was, in fact, there to see _her_ , Anna's heart started to race just a little bit more than it already was. As they stood there sipping their tea, the awkwardness was getting to be too much. She decided to break the ice.

"I actually saw you once, about five years ago, in the parking lot of some lumberyard. Or maybe it was a hardware store?" She took a sip of her tea, her eyes locked on his.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I waved, but you either didn't see me or didn't want to see me. You _were_ with someone. Tall. Dark hair. A woman." She watched his face as he tried to search for the memory.

Luke tried to do the math in his head. It suddenly dawned on him that five years ago was when he and Lorelai went to pick out paint for the diner, their painting date that she stood him up for. He shook his head slightly to keep his thoughts in check.

He laughed nervously. "I didn't see you. I would have waved back, unless I was holding stuff, and then I would have nodded or something."

Anna slowly nodded. "I'm sure." She gestured for him to follow her over to the couch. "I was wondering if you'd show up."

"Is that why you didn't tell me? You thought I wouldn't show up? That I wouldn't be there? It was a phone call. I've been in the same place forever. Haven't moved. You certainly knew how to find me."

"Come sit. Please." Once they were seated, she leaned forward resting her forearms on her thighs. She felt a tiny jolt of excitement when she noticed his eyes drift ever so slightly down to her chest. "Luke, come on. We'd already broken up by the time I found out, and I knew how you felt about kids."

Luke was slightly taken aback. Had he really made a name for himself as a guy who hated kids that much? He never hated Rory. But, then again, the special affection he had for her mother probably helped in that department. "It doesn't mean I would have been like that with my kid. I mean, even if I would have been like that with my kid, I still had a right to know."

"I'm sorry," said Anna softly, placing her hand on his arm. Her stomach fluttered at the contact.

He took a deep breath. "Well, the whole reason for me coming here is because I have to do something."

She tried to control her breathing. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she was certain he could hear it. "What does that _mean_?"

"It means I want to offer you whatever assistance I can. _Monetary_ , of course, and compensation for the past twelve years," he answered in a rush.

She released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You don't owe us anything, Luke. We want for nothing and always have. But if you want to chip in, then, sure, chip in. Just know that I did _not_ send her to you." She was trying her best not to sound too bitter. _Not everything is about money_ she thought.

"I know you didn't, but she came to me, and now I know, and I want to help. I'm not talking about contact. I know you've got your life here and I'm sure you guys don't want me hanging around. I just want to live up to my end of the bargain." He gripped his mug tighter as he waited for her to respond.

She smiled with relief. "Whatever you decide to do, Luke, is okay with me. And just for the record, we _wouldn't_ mind you hanging around." They locked eyes for a moment before he gave her a small smile and looked down into his mug of tea.

"Thank you. I'll, uh, definitely think about that." He leaned forward and placed his mug on the coffee table in front of him. "So, I guess I'll get going." They both stood.

"Hey, Luke. It was really great seeing you," she said softly, unable to hide the smile on her face.

"You too." He reached out and gently touched her arm. She placed her hand over her stomach to calm the butterflies fluttering inside. "Tell April 'hi' for me." He turned and walked towards the door.

"I will do that. Bye." She closed the door behind him and turned to lean her back against it. _Wow. He looks better than he did thirteen years ago_ she thought, pushing herself forward towards the living room to collect their mugs of tea. Heat filled her cheeks as she thought about his eyes on her chest and the feel of his hand on her arm. _God, I hope he decides to hang around._

On his drive back to Stars Hollow, Luke couldn't help but think about how great he felt. The meeting with Anna went much better than he thought it would. He could actually see him and Lorelai spending time with them. Or maybe just him. He wasn't sure how Lorelai would feel about hanging out with one of his old exes. _She liked Rachel_ he thought as he neared his exit. By the time he pulled up in front of the diner, he realized he hadn't called Lorelai. It was already 3:00 p.m. and he knew she would already be back at home. He cut off the engine and retrieved his phone from inside his jacket pocket.

"You forgot about me, didn't you?" she answered by way of greeting.

"I didn't forget. I was mulling. Where are you?"

"I'm home. Staring at my beautiful wedding dress." She walked over and plopped down on the bed. "So, mulling huh? How did it go?"

"It actually went pretty great. April wasn't there, something about grub migration. But I got to tell Anna how I felt and what I wanted. She seemed to be open to anything." He rounded the truck and leaned against the back of it.

"Aw, Babe. That's great! Does that mean you changed your mind about feeling like an intruder?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I feel like I want to know more about her, you know? Seeing where she lives and knowing she's crazy smart, she seems like a great kid." In that moment, Luke knew exactly what he wanted. He didn't want to be the Christopher who swoops in only for financial reasons. He wanted to be the _father_ who would be there for his kid no matter what.

"It sounds like you just made up your mind."

"I think I did. I'll see you in a bit." He hung up with Lorelai and walked into the diner. He took the steps, two at a time, up to his old apartment. Earlier, when he was looking up Anna's address, he wrote her number down just in case. He grabbed his cordless phone, took a deep breath, and dialed the number.

Anna was in the middle of unboxing a new order of pillows when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered, not recognizing the number on the caller ID

"Hi, uh, it's Luke."

"Luke?" she asked with a chuckle. "Well, when it rains it-"

"I want contact," he blurted out.

"You want…?"

"I want a relationship with her. I want to get to know her and see her on a regular basis. I mean, she's a part of me. There's no one else running around that's half me."

"That you know of," she responded in a flirty voice.

"I'm being serious here. You said you were okay with whatever I decided. Well, this is what I want. I want to know my daughter and I want her to know me."

Anna felt her heart swell at hearing him talk so passionately about their daughter. Some old, familiar feelings were definitely starting to stir up and the thought of Luke coming around more often was a welcoming one. "Okay. It's really up to April, but if she's cool then I'm cool."

Luke released the breath he was holding. "Really? Thanks, Anna. That's…thanks. Is, uh, April there now?"

"Not yet. She'll be home soon, though. I'll have her call you."

"Ok. No! _I_ should call _her_."

"Is this your home number you're calling from so I can write it down?" she asked, pen poised to a slip of paper.

"Yes. Well, no. This is my old apartment number. The one above the diner. I live with my fiancée now. I'll give you that number, too, just in case." It was quiet on the other line and Luke thought for sure that the call must have gotten disconnected. "Anna?"

The minute she heard him say 'fiancée' she lost all interest in the conversation. "I'm here. Um, you never mentioned that you were engaged." She was trying desperately to keep her tone even.

"Well it didn't exactly come up. Is that going to be a problem because Lorelai is great-"

"I'm sure she's great, Luke. I just want to make sure that _you're_ the one who wants this and that _you're_ going to be able to dedicate your time to April." She chewed on her bottom lip. The feeling of jealousy was starting to flow through her veins.

"Of course _I_ want this. Look, Lorelai has been nothing but supportive throughout this whole thing. I want her to get to know April too," he said softly.

"Ok," she said with a sigh. "She'll be home by five. We'll talk to you then."

He jogged home feeling lighter than he has in months. He opened the front door and called out to Lorelai. She told him that she was in her dress and to give her a minute to change. Ten minutes later she strolled down the stairs pulling her hair back in a low ponytail.

"Hi." She walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. She snuggled into his neck and breathed him in. "I feel like I haven't seen you all day."

He rubbed his hands up and down her ribcage. She pulled back and gave him a soft kiss. She took his hand and pulled him over to the couch.

"Spill," she said with a smile once she was sitting comfortably.

He filled her in on both of his conversations with Anna. He left out the part about Anna not sounding too excited about him being engaged. He didn't want Lorelai to read too much into it.

"What do you think you two will talk about when you call her?" she asked as she played with the hair sticking out from under his hat.

"I don't know. I guess I can ask her about school. Maybe see if she would want to meet me somewhere."

"Like at a park?"

"Maybe. Today's Tuesday so I can see if Friday works for her." He looked over at Lorelai. "We don't have any plans, do we?"

"Nope. I'm meeting with the head of the New England Maple Syrup Council, Liam something, that day. They'll be staying the whole weekend. And the Winter Carnival isn't until Saturday night."

"Okay. I guess I'll just see what she says." He shrugged and checked his watch. Almost time.

* * *

Luke felt kind of bad. He just assumed most kids liked to go to the park. The fact that it was 41 degrees out didn't even occur to him. He blamed it on Taylor for interrupting his sleep earlier that morning with the useless town meeting. The rest of the visit went pretty well. They watched the guys playing frisbee for a while before the conversation turned to the grub migration she was cataloging. After about an hour, April headed home on her bike and Luke made his way back to Stars Hollow.

When he got back to the diner, Luke couldn't wait to tell Lorelai all about his first visit with his daughter. He went upstairs to use the phone since the diner was somewhat busy and because they still hadn't told anyone about April.

"Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking." She was checking in a new arrival from the maple syrup group.

"Hey, it's me. You busy?"

"Hold on a sec." She placed the phone down on the front desk and turned to get the guest his room key. "Enjoy your stay." She picked up the phone and headed into her office. "Ok. I'm all yours."

"It went okay. Apparently the park idea wasn't very good but we made the best of it. She actually wants to spend the day tomorrow at the diner. I kind of panicked because we haven't exactly told people about her yet but then I figured if you were there then you could act as a buffer."

"Aw, Hon, I don't think I can make it. I told you about that council being here all weekend. There's a conference and then a meal. And I have to check out the space for my booth at the carnival. Kirk's been giving me crap about it so I have a feeling I'll be having it out with him. Maybe you can just reschedule. Tell Anna something came up. I'm sure it's not that big a deal."

"Yeah. I'll give her a call and see what she says." He hung up with Lorelai and called Anna.

"Hi, Anna. It's Luke."

"Hey, there," she said happily. She was really starting to enjoy these frequent phone calls of his. That enjoyment was quickly replaced with annoyance when she realized he was already canceling plans with their kid. He assured her that that wasn't the case and that he was just overthinking things. She didn't want to stay mad at him. She just hoped this whole thing had nothing to do with Lorelai.

Luke knew it didn't look good cancelling plans already when he's just starting to build a relationship with April. He also knew that he wanted Lorelai to be a part of this whole process as well. He was starting to feel like he was being pulled in two different directions. _This is crazy. Lorelai will understand. There'll be other times when she can come hang out with us_ he thought as he made his way back downstairs.

Later on that night, Luke was sitting on the couch in the living room with a beer resting on his knee and his feet propped up on the coffee table. He was watching some ESPN highlights when Lorelai came in through the front door. She removed her coat and set her purse down on the desk by the phone.

"Hey, there." She sat down next to him and gave him a quick kiss. She grabbed his beer and took a sip.

He picked up the remote and muted the sound on the t.v. "How was your day?"

"Long," she answered with a sigh. "I can't believe I have to sit through an entire weekend of watching people sip syrup like they're at a wine tasting." She kicked off her heels and pulled her legs up underneath her. "I didn't hear from you after we talked earlier. Were you able to reschedule April coming to the diner?"

Luke took a deep breath and sighed. "No. Anna kind of made me realize that I shouldn't be cancelling plans so early on while I'm trying to get to know April." He reached over and rubbed her knee gently.

"Luke," she chuckled. "You weren't _cancelling_ plans. You were rearranging. Things come up all of the time. Did you tell her _why_ you were rescheduling?"

He looked down at his hands, playing with them nervously. "I may have rambled on about the diner not being safe and that she could get burned by hot grease."

"Why would you tell her that, Luke? You have to be honest. She's not going to like it when she realizes you're making up crazy lies."

Luke stood and reached up to adjust his hat, leaving his hands on top of his head for a moment before turning to face her. "What was I supposed to say, Lorelai? I'm sorry, Anna, but April can't come visit me tomorrow because my fiancée won't be there to hold my hand."

Lorelai gaped at him. "Do _not_ blame me, Luke. I never said I _needed_ to be there. You were the one who asked me if I could come act as your buffer. So the next time your kid's mother makes _you_ feel like shit, don't take it out on me." She pushed herself up off the couch and darted for the stairs. "Don't follow me!" she called out when she reached the landing.

Luke sat back down on the couch with a sigh. "Shit."

An hour later, she still hadn't come back downstairs. It wasn't like them to stay mad at each other for very long but this was all new territory for the both of them. As supportive as Lorelai was being, she was bound to have some issues and insecurities with the whole situation. Luke stood and made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed a wine glass and filled it with her favorite merlot. Grabbing a brownie off the plate on the stove, he slowly climbed the stairs.

Lorelai was in her bubble-filled tub when she heard a light tap on the door. "Come in." She stared straight ahead at the faucet, watching as her toe turned it off and on.

Luke opened the door and closed it back behind him so the cold air wouldn't get in. He set her glass of wine and brownie down on the counter in between their double sinks. He grabbed the chair from in front of the shower and set it in front of the tub. After sitting down, he leaned forward so that his forearms rested on his thighs.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "You were right. She kind of made me feel guilty. I just…I need this to work."

Lorelai shifted her eyes so that she could look at him. He was sorry. She could see it in his eyes. She scooted back so that she could sit, pulling her knees up as well and resting her chin on top. "I want this to work too but you have to find that balance, Luke. If you need me to take myself out of the equation to do that, then that's what I'll do."

"Lorelai, no. That's _not_ what I want. I just think that once it's out there and everyone knows and we don't have to hide it anymore, things will get better. I won't feel so stressed about it all the time."

She took a deep breath and nodded. She gestured with her head towards the sink. "Is that for me?"

"Yeah. I didn't know how mad you still were so I came with peace offerings." He reached behind him and grabbed the wine glass and brownie. He handed her the glass and waited as she took a few sips. He leaned over and held the brownie up to her mouth so she could take a bite.

She chewed thoughtfully as she watched him. "These are fresh. Were you anticipating a fight tonight?" She couldn't hide the smirk on her face.

"You know I hate fighting. I needed something to do to get my mind off of things." He gave her a shrug and small smile. He stood and whipped both his flannel and undershirt over his head. Lorelai's eyes widened as she watched him undress.

"Speaking of needing something to do, you have room for one more?" He nodded towards the tub with his hands on his bare hips.

She smiled and nodded. "Always."

* * *

Lorelai had to get away. Just watching people sip syrup made her feel like it was slowly running down her own throat. She gagged at the thought. She knew exactly where she wanted to go and reached for her cell phone to let Luke know. She stopped herself and decided to surprise him instead. He told her that morning that April would be there around noon and since it was already 12:15 p.m., Lorelai knew she would make it just in time.

She entered the diner slowly as she spotted the little girl standing at one of the tables with her back facing the door. Lorelai looked around for Luke but when she didn't see him, she approached April instead.

"April?" she asked hesitantly just in case this was in fact not the kid.

April looked up at her and Lorelai could somewhat see the resemblance she had to Luke. "Are you a strangler?"

"No," she chuckled, giving the girl a puzzled look. "I'm Lorelai." She held her hand out to April and she shook it firmly just as Luke appeared from the kitchen.

He smiled at the sight in front of him. He walked over to the girls and placed his hand on Lorelai's back. "I thought you couldn't get away?" He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

"I got away." She beamed back at him for a moment before turning her attention back to April. "So, first day here and he's already putting you to work?" She took a seat at the table where April had salt shakers lined up in a row.

April giggled. "Nah. This was my idea. I've turned the mundane act of filling salt into somewhat of a science experiment."

"Hey. Whatever passes the time." She looked up at Luke who was smiling at his daughter. It warmed her heart to finally see the two of them together.

"Do you want some coffee?" asked Luke as he jabbed his thumb back towards the counter.

"Please." Lorelai followed him over to the counter. She watched him fill a to-go cup and hand it off to her. "So, has anyone asked anything yet?"

"Oddly enough, no. They probably think I'm running some sort of child slavery ring or something. I'm sure eventually word will get out. Until then, I've decided to just go with the flow."

"Go with the _flow_? I'm sorry, who are you and what have you done with Luke?" She took a few gulps of coffee and a thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Does she know who _I_ am?"

"She does _now_. You just introduced yourself." He grabbed a towel to wipe down the counter.

"I meant, does she know we're engaged? You never mentioned if you told them or not."

"Anna knows so I just assumed she told April. It hasn't really come up but if it does I'll make sure she knows." He walked over to grab a plate that Caesar was holding out for a customer. He delivered it to one of the tables by the window and made his way back over to the counter.

"Okay. Well I just needed to get away for a few minutes so I guess I'll head back. Oh! I almost forgot. Rory's coming to the carnival tonight so I'm going to pick us up dinner first. Is it okay that I tell her about…?" She motioned behind her towards April.

"Yeah. Of course. I'll try and stop by tonight to check out your booth. I won't promise that I'll stay but I'll definitely see you there." He leaned over the counter to give her a soft kiss.

"I'll see you later." She smiled and turned toward April. "It was nice to meet you, April. Good luck with that experiment."

"Thanks. Nice meeting you too."

Around 6:00 p.m., Lorelai was sitting nervously at her kitchen table waiting for Rory to arrive. She had already unpacked all of the takeout she bought from Al's when she heard the front door open and close. She let her daughter ramble on about the letter Lorelai had written for Logan to give to her. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Luke has a daughter," she blurted out as she watched her daughter's face freeze into confusion.

"And we'll talk about the letter later. What!?" Rory walked over to the table to sit down.

"He has a twelve-year-old daughter. I met her today and I talked to her."

"What?!" Rory repeated trying to understand how she's missed out on all of this information.

"He has a daughter with this woman, Anna. I haven't met _her_ yet, but we found out two months ago." She braced herself for her daughter's reaction.

"Two months?!" Rory shook her head in disbelief.

"I know! I wanted to tell you, but Luke wasn't sure about what kind of role he wanted in April's life. That's her name. April. She's cute. She seems really smart, like you. What is it with the next generation? You're all smarter than the rest of us."

"Not necessarily." Rory paused for a moment. "What do you mean he wasn't sure what role he wanted to have in her life?" She stood to get plates so that they could start eating before the food got too cold.

Lorelai sighed. "Well, at first he was just going to support them financially. He felt like the whole thing was just so that April could win first place at her science fair. That's how this whole thing started. But then he realized he wanted to get to know her and he didn't want to be like _your_ dad. He wanted to be there for his kid." She plated some Chinese food and started to eat.

Rory watched her mother carefully. "And you're okay with all of this? The kid? The potential baby momma drama?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It's a little weird knowing this woman has a part of Luke but I'm sure he feels the same way about Christopher sometimes. We're good. More than good. And I completely trust him."

Thirty minutes later, Lorelai and Rory made their way to the town square with Paul Anka dressed in his Swami outfit. The booth was a success despite being placed next to the Tarot Card one. Lorelai was getting anxious, however, not knowing how the rest of Luke's day with April went.

"Hey, Luke, want Swami Doggy to read your fortune?" asked Rory. Lorelai spun around to see Luke standing next to the booth.

"Uh, maybe some other time." He walked up to Lorelai and placed his hand on the small of her back. "Hey. Can we walk a little bit?"

"Yeah." She looped her arm in his and they made their way towards the gazebo.

"So," he said with a sigh. "It went good. No one asked any questions. She eventually went up to the old apartment to read and I brought her something to eat. We ate together. It was nice. She's very low maintenance."

"Those are the best kind. So when's your next date?"

"I don't know yet. She has this week off of school but I don't want to take up all her free time. I told her to call whenever she wants to come by."

Lorelai nodded her approval. "That's good. You need to make sure the relationship isn't just one-sided. I'm glad it's going so well. Oh. I told Rory about April, so you don't have to act all stealthy and mob boss around her." She leaned in to give him a soft kiss. She pulled back and smiled. "Think it might be a health-code violation, kissing this close to the cotton candy booth."

"I'll see you at home," he said in that low, gravelly voice.

"Yeah. See you there." She gave him one more kiss before he ducked away. She smiled as she watched him go and turned to walk back to join her daughter and her fortune-telling dog.

* * *

 **A/N:** I must say. I am thoroughly enjoying reworking the events of season 6. It proves that the L's could still have continued with their plans even though April came along. But just because they _can_ doesn't mean it will always be easy for them. Enter: Anna Nardini. Side note- She is my second least favorite character (Christopher holds strong at #1) and the reason should be fairly obvious.

Thanks to everyone who has followed and reviewed this story so far! To Nancy: I'm not sure I understand what you mean about L&L and wanting LESS communication. My point in reworking season 6 is to show that they were a completely solid couple before April entered the scene. But even though they are communicating with each other, the cracks are bound to show. I do appreciate the feedback!

The next chapter will recap episodes 6.13, 6.14, and 6.15. The actual story will pick up and combine 'Bridesmaids Revisited', 'I'm OK, You're OK' and 'The Real Paul Anka'.


	4. Chapter 4

The month of February seemed to just fly by. Lorelai and Sookie were able to decide on flower arrangements for the wedding. Initially, Lorelai was leaning more towards daisies but, once they entered the giant flower mart in Beacon Falls, she realized there were way more options to choose from. She was also reminded of the fact that daisies were a major part in her first engagement, to Max. She decided on Dancing-lady orchids for the center pieces and blush-colored dahlias and cream-colored roses for her bouquet. The secret she had been carrying about Luke having a daughter was finally brought up as well. Sookie being Sookie, was incredibly supportive and it was one less thing Lorelai had to deal with.

The next thing was finally dealing with her parents over them being bitter about Christopher paying for Yale. It felt good, though, to get everything out in the open and finally somewhat clear the air. Not only did they basically reinstate Friday Night Dinner, Lorelai accidentally let it slip that Luke has a daughter. Thankfully, her parents didn't ask any further questions regarding the news. Lorelai made a mental note to prepare herself for the onslaught that was sure to come later on at some point. A week later at dinner she proved herself right. Her mother had insisted on Luke attending the following week since it had been so long since they've seen him. Of course it took the promise of a whole night in bed with Lorelai for him to agree, but Luke attended and things actually went pretty well. He even took Richard's advice and looked into proper insurance for the diner as well as he and Lorelai's house. He didn't admit it, but it felt good that the Gilmore's seemed to be accepting their impending marriage. Just the fact that they referred to him as their son-in-law was enough for Luke.

With everything going on, they were even able to take some time away from Stars Hollow. They accompanied Rory and Logan to Martha's Vineyard for Valentine's Day weekend. The trip was just what they needed. They hardly left the bedroom but when they did, they enjoyed lobster on the deck outside and a nice walk along the beach. Their wonderful weekend had come to an abrupt end when Logan's dad decided to show up and insist Logan leave ASAP. Luke and Lorelai returned home completely relaxed, however, and ready to tackle whatever came next.

* * *

"I just want to remind you about Rory's panel." Lorelai was sitting at the counter trying desperately to inch away from Kirk. Luke was trying to keep up with orders while Lane stood at the end of the counter drawing on a flyer.

"What? What panel?" He thought for a second before it hit him. "Oh, right. The Journalists with the Young Voices thing."

"Close," she chuckled. "It's the Young Voices of Journalism panel. Don't forget. It's at 3:00 so I'll stop by here at 1:30 to pick you up. _Please_ make sure you change upstairs. I left a pair of slacks, a nice dress shirt, and your sports coat on the bed. And, uh, Christopher is going to be there too. I love you buh-bye." She tried to turn and bolt for the door but Luke caught her by the wrist. She turned slowly to face him, an apologetic grimace on her face.

"Christopher? He's been showing up a lot lately."

"He's trying to make good. For Rory. But, hey, we _don't_ have to sit with him. In fact, I _insist_ on not sitting with him hence the reason I want to get there early." She gave him a hopeful smile.

He gave her a small smile. "I'm good with whatever you want to do. I'll get you your pancakes."

They arrived at Yale with about 45 minutes to spare. The last time Luke had been to the school was three and a half years ago when he helped move Rory in. They made their way to the conference hall and found two seats near the front of the audience. Lorelai looked around nervously but saw no sign of Christopher. It's been over a year since she's seen or spoken to him and it seemed to be working out just fine.

"Hey, Mom! Luke! You guys made it." Rory walked over and gave her mom and stepfather-to-be a quick hug.

"The woman of the hour. So, are you excited?" Lorelai smoothed her daughter's hair in place.

"Yes. And a little nervous. I've got a lot of talking points. I feel like I'm gonna get up there and forget everything."

"You're gonna do great, Rory." Luke reached out and gently touched her arm.

"Yeah, you are. You're a natural at this kind of thing. And just remember if things don't go well, we _will_ stop loving you." Lorelai gave her daughter a cheeky grin which earned her a playful eye-roll.

"I better get up there. I'll see you guys afterwards." Rory turned to walk towards the stage but quickly turned back. "Oh! I forgot. Dad texted me to say that he's not going to make it. Something about G.G. and needing a sitter. I figured you'd wanna know." Without waiting for a response, Rory made her way up to the stage.

Lorelai exhaled sharply. "Surprise, surprise."

They took their seats and waited for the discussion to start. Lorelai was blown away by how smart and articulate her daughter was. It was so hard to believe that, after her slight tumble such a short time ago, she was here and flourishing.

"Too bad Rory couldn't join us." Luke was looking at a menu trying to decide on what he felt like eating. It was only 6:00 p.m., but they decided to stop at a little restaurant right outside New Haven on their way home for an early dinner.

"I know. Those damn academic-types." She placed her menu down and scoured the restaurant for the bathrooms. When she spotted the little sign hanging on the wall, Lorelai stood. "I'll be right back. Order me a white zinfandel, please."

She made her way through the restaurant and pushed open the door to the ladies room. A minute later she exited her stall to see a woman at the sink washing her hands. They made eye contact in the mirror and Lorelai offered her a small, polite smile. While washing her hands, Lorelai couldn't help but look back up at the woman, who was staring at her intently.

"I'm sorry," Lorelai chuckled. "Do I know you?" She turned off the faucet and grabbed for some paper napkins to dry her hands.

"No. But I'm pretty sure you know my daughter. I'm Anna." She gave Lorelai a smirk before grabbing a couple of napkins herself.

"Oh! Well this is awkward," Lorelai laughed nervously. "I didn't expect our first meeting to be in such an _intimate_ place." She gestured to the bathroom stalls behind her. "I'm Lorelai, but I'm guessing you already knew that."

Anna nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I have to get going." She stopped in front of the door and turned to look at Lorelai. "It was nice to finally meet the woman who made Luke a better man."

Lorelai stared at the closed door in confusion. _Wow. Was that even a compliment?_ she thought as she tossed her napkins in the trash and pulled open the bathroom door.

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns," Lorelai said with a huff as she sat back down at their table. She casually looked around to see if she could spot Anna.

"What happened? You look flushed." Luke grabbed his beer and took a quick sip.

"Anna happened," she said in an almost whisper. Luke gave her a confused look and placed his beer back down on the table. "Your kid's mother recognized me some how in the bathroom."

"Wait, Anna's here?" Luke craned his neck to look around the restaurant.

She took a sip of her wine. "I must say, she wasn't very friendly. And I get it. I went through the same thing with Sherry. But I'm not trying to _insert_ myself in April's life. I'm just here supporting _you._ "

"Nah. Maybe you just caught her on a bad night. Or a bad date." Luke couldn't help but be curious as to if Anna _would_ be on a date. She hadn't mentioned seeing anyone. Not that she was required to but he did tell _her_ about Lorelai.

"I don't know, Luke. She told me it was nice to finally meet the woman who made you a _better_ man."

"Well, she wasn't wrong." He gave her a smirk.

"I'm serious. There was something almost…" she lowered her voice, "sexual about how she said it. It was just a feeling I got."

"Lorelai, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Anna. I've yet to pick up on anything even remotely resembling an attraction from her." He picked up his menu again. "Are you ready to order?"

Something didn't feel right and Lorelai knew it. But out of respect for Luke, she pushed those feelings aside and told herself, once again, that she trusted him completely. She wished she could say the same about Anna.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Kiddo, but I just can't close the store down for a whole week. Not with Kristy out sick. There's other chaperones going. You don't really _need_ me there." Anna was unpacking some new inventory of purses and pleather luggage bags while April sat at the kitchen table doing her homework.

"What if I asked Luke to come?" April asked nonchalantly. "It's probably a long shot but I know he has people who can run the diner while he's gone. Unless him and Lorelai have plans."

The mention of Lorelai's name made Anna roll her eyes. After their impromptu meeting in the bathroom a few weeks ago, Anna couldn't seem to shake the feeling of jealousy. She had seen her with Luke five years ago that day outside the hardware store but seeing her from a distance didn't do her any justice. Up close, Lorelai was beautiful. _A taller, slimmer, less chestier version of me_ she thought. Suddenly an idea came to her. It could work, but only if Kristy was feeling well enough to man the store for at least one day.

"I think you should ask Luke. It'll help break him in to the whole parent-volunteer world." She grabbed the cordless phone and handed it to her daughter.

"I'll call him in the morning. I think he mentioned something about a town meeting and then they were going to the movies." April closed her books and gathered up her papers. She kissed her mother goodnight and went to her room. Anna knew there was no way that Luke would tell April no. It just all depended on Lorelai's influence on the decision.

* * *

"So," said Lorelai through stuffed cheeks and a dab of melted marshmallow on her chin. She quickly chewed and swallowed her bite of s'mores before continuing. "I know it's not technically playing hooky if I show up at work and then leave, but I do have to stop in for at least 15 minutes. After that I'm all yours." She licked the chocolate off of her fingers earning a slight grimace from Luke. He reached over to wipe her chin with his thumb.

"That's fine. I have some pieces I need to review and make notes on anyway." Rory popped the last bite of s'mores into her mouth.

"Well, let's hit the road Jack. Maybe we can go see a movie. Oh! And have Al's for dinner. I haven't been able to drag Luke back there since his unfortunate blue manicotti experience."

"I don't blame him." Rory grabbed their to-go cups of coffee and followed her mother out the door.

Because of her parents' out-of-the-blue visit, Lorelai and Rory were unable to enjoy the Stars Hollow afternoon they had planned. Since Luke was working late at the diner anyway, Lorelai suggested a late movie. They sat down on the couch and Rory picked up the newspaper sitting on the coffee table.

"You in the market for some luggage?" Rory noticed a couple of pictures that were circled.

"No. That's for Luke. I forgot to tell you! He's going to chaperone April's field trip to Philadelphia next week." She snatched the newspaper from her daughter and flipped it to the selection of movies being shown.

"Really?" Rory couldn't imagine Luke chaperoning a field trip of little middle-schoolers.

"Yeah, he's really excited about it. But that excitement might end when he gets there and discovers that his underwear fell out somewhere around Amish country. The Amish, however, would be psyched. All right, what do we want: a comedy, a tragedy, or a tragedy that makes us laugh?" Lorelai awaited a response from Rory, who sat back lost in thought.

"Have you met the mother?"

Lorelai hadn't told Rory about the awkward encounter in the bathroom a few weeks ago and she didn't feel like bringing it up now. "Uh, no. Not yet."

"Well what do you know about her?" Rory turned so that she was facing her mother.

"Not much. I know she owns a boutique or something in Woodbridge."

"Hmm. Hey, I have an idea. A _really_ good idea. We should go to Woodbridge and go to her store. She won't know who we are. We could just go in there and see what she looks like."

As fun as that would have sounded if it was anyone else involved, Lorelai knew that Anna would recognize her and word would most definitely get back to Luke that she was there. "No. I am not _spying_ on Luke's old girlfriend. It's weird and creepy."

"You're telling me that you're not at all curious about the other woman? Where's your adventurous spirit?"

"First of all, she's not the _other_ woman. She's just another woman. And second of all, this is Luke's thing. If he found out we were sneaking around trying to spy on his ex, he would be really upset. Now, troublemaker, put that evil mind to better use here." She held up the newspaper for Rory to make a selection, crossing her fingers and toes that the discussion was finally over.

* * *

The next day, Luke was taking advantage of the afternoon lull by still trying to sew up his duffle bag when the diner phone started ringing.

"Luke's!"

"Hi, it's Anna. You have a few minutes?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to make sure you have the itinerary for next week. April created a more detailed version that breaks down almost every part of the trip by the hour. I wish I was as detail-oriented as our child. I'd get a lot more done." She smiled when she caught herself mention _their_ child.

"Yep. She left a copy for me when she was here yesterday. Ow! Son of a…" He put the tip of his pricked finger into his mouth.

"Are you okay?" chuckled Anna.

"Fine. I've been trying to sew up this old duffle bag that I have. Easier said than done."

"I just got these great luggage bags in the other day. I can send one to you." She held her breath while waiting on his response.

"Nah. If I can't get this one doctored up, Lorelai mentioned-"

Anna exhaled sharply. "Luke, you're doing me a huge favor by going on this trip with April. The least I can do is send over a bag for you to use. It's really not that a big a deal."

"Okay," Luke sighed. "I'll see you on Sunday when I go pick up April."

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay with Anna giving me that bag?" Luke asked softly, rubbing Lorelai's bare back as they lay in bed. He would be leaving in the morning for his ten-day adventure with April and they wanted to get in as much bedroom time as possible.

"Luke," she sighed softly. "Can we not talk about Anna _right_ this moment? I told you I was fine. It's just a bag, right? And with the money you saved from not having to pay for it you better bring me back something."

"I'm sorry. I just don't want to leave and have you sitting here secretly upset with me for almost two weeks."

"I'm not upset with you. But I _will_ be upset if this conversation continues and I don't get my ten nights of promised passion all rolled into one." She gave him a devilish grin before swinging her leg over him and straddling his waist.

* * *

The next morning was harder than both of them thought it was going to be. Thank god for Caesar and his panicking capabilities that provided a nice distraction. And also, Lorelai's not-so-subtle handling of the luggage. When Caesar finally went back inside, Lorelai walked over to the driver's side of Luke's truck.

"I'll call you when we get to Newark. You'll be at the inn most of the morning?" Luke sat in his truck with his body turned toward Lorelai.

"Yep. But I'll have my cell on me. I don't have any meetings planned so feel free to call." She leaned into the truck and gave him a soft kiss. "I love you."

He kissed her one more time and pulled back with a smile. "Love you."

Three hours later, the bus finally made it to Newark. The kids were all hungry for lunch so they stopped at a small place off the side of the road called Snack-n-Soda. It wasn't exactly Luke's version of a decent place to eat but the kids seemed to be excited by it. After a rather eye-opening conversation with April, Luke decided to give Lorelai a call.

"Aw, you miss me already?" answered Lorelai with a cheeky grin. She was loading up Lane's wedding dress that Mrs. Kim brought over into her Jeep.

"Well we made it. We stopped at this little dive on the side of the road to eat lunch and I was informed by my daughter that I'm basically cramping her style while she's trying to get this boy to notice her. How's _your_ day going?"

"Aw, Hon." She couldn't help but chuckle. She knew eventually Luke would learn that there were boundaries when it came to teenagers, but he had to learn the hard way. "Knowing April, I'm sure it was a very civilized conversation. Her laying out all the facts? Just maybe stick with the parents for a while. Let her come to you if she needs something."

"That's basically what she said in a nutshell."

"Smart girl. So, luckily for me, I have something to distract myself from the loneliness of you not being here. Mrs. Kim dropped off Lane's wedding dress for me to alter. God, you should see it."

"I can imagine. Look, I have to go. I think we're about ready to load back up inside the bus. I'll call you tonight once we're settled in."

"Okay. Tell April 'hi' for me."

* * *

The next morning another distraction came Lorelai's way in the form of her parents walking around Stars Hollow. Just the thought of them potentially living this close sent Lorelai into panic mode. It just didn't make any sense. Her parents were not the small town types. Not by a long shot. Things got even more weird when she entered the diner to find her mother playing Go Fish with a little girl Lorelai had never seen before. She had to admit, it was kind of funny to see her mother being so sweet and kind to a little girl she assumed was April. After shooing Sissy away, Lorelai calmly reminded her mother that Luke was in fact _with_ his daughter in Philadelphia and that when the time was right, Emily and Richard would eventually meet her.

Luke was actually thankful that Lorelai had packed him his nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt. He wanted to look nice when he went to see Jess' open house. It wasn't exactly his scene but it was nice just to be there supporting his nephew. It was even nicer when he turned and saw Rory enter the bookstore.

"Rory, hi. What are you doing here?" Luke walked up to her and gave her one of his classic side-hugs.

"Same thing you're doing here. I didn't RSVP though." She nodded towards Jess, "I hope that's okay."

Jess just waved it off. "Ah, this isn't an RSVP type thing. Showing up's cool."

"Your books are really easy to skim." April walked up holding one of Jess' books.

"That'll make a nice blurb," Jess deadpanned.

"Uh, April. This is Rory. Lorelai's daughter." Luke gestured toward Rory.

"The famous April. It's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm famous?" April gave Rory an almost hopeful grin.

"Kind of," Rory chuckled.

"I've known Rory since she was about your age, April." Luke checked his watch and realized it was almost time for he and April's dinner reservation. "I'm sorry to run but we're having dinner tonight. Food served on actual plates and not cardboard for once."

They said their goodbyes and Luke escorted April out of the door. The restaurant they were headed for was conveniently located across the street from Truncheon. They quickly crossed the empty intersection but stopped as soon as they heard both of their names being called. Luke spun around to see Anna hurrying down the sidewalk.

"I wasn't sure I was gonna make it in time," said Anna trying to catch her breath as she finally caught up with them.

"What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't get away from the store." Luke looked from Anna to April and back at Anna.

"Well, Kristy was feeling better, so she agreed to take over the store for the day. April told me you guys were having dinner, so I figured it would be nice for the three of us to eat together." She gave him a hopeful smile. It didn't even cross her mind that Luke may feel like she was intruding on his father-daughter bonding time.

"A head's up would have been nice, Anna." He paused before continuing. "But you're here now so let's go before we miss our reservation." The three of them continued on toward the restaurant.

Rory ran out of Truncheon completely humiliated by the fact that she actually thought she could stoop as low as Logan and cheat on _him_. _What am I doing?_ she thought. She leaned up against the side of the building to calm her nerves and looked up just in time to see Luke escort April and a familiar looking woman into the restaurant across the street. Rory looked both ways before crossing and walked up to the window of the restaurant. She peeked inside just as Luke took a seat at a table with April and…

"Anna?" Rory whispered. She tried to think back to her and Lorelai's conversation about Luke taking this trip with April. At no point did her mother mention Anna tagging along as well. Rory pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother's number.

"Oh, my God! Your grandparents are going to drive me crazy. I'm talking Angelina Jolie in 'Girl, Interrupted' crazy." Lorelai was just getting home. She had stopped to pick up a pizza on her way and was carrying it into the living room.

"Well, it _was_ an Oscar-winning performance," said Rory distractedly as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her at the restaurant.

"You okay? You sound a little weird." She grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite.

"Um, have you heard from Luke tonight?"

Lorelai stopped chewing and was suddenly on full alert. "Yeah," she said slowly, drawing the word out. "He called me before they left to go to Jess' thing. Why are you asking?"

"I sort of ran into them tonight. In Philadelphia. I was invited to the open house and was upset with Logan for leaving to go to Costa Rica and I just got in my car and drove here."

"Okay, so you're in Philly. What does that have to do with Luke besides the fact that you saw him there?" Lorelai stood and made her way into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"I was just curious if he shared his plans for the evening with you." Rory held her breath while she waited for her mother's response.

"He told me he was going to the open house and then he and April had dinner plans afterwards. Rory, what's going on?" She sat back down on the couch and tucked her legs underneath her.

Rory slowly released the breath she was holding and turned away from the window. "I _see_ him at the restaurant. He's having dinner with April…and Anna."

Lorelai nearly choked on her water. She waited for a moment. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Positive," Rory answered softly. "Mom? Don't freak out, okay? It's probably innocent. Maybe she just showed up and he didn't get a chance to tell you. _Give_ him a chance to tell you before you read too much into this." As soon as the words left her mouth, Rory wished she would have done the same thing.

"Yeah," Lorelai whispered. She cleared her throat before adding, "I have to go. Pizza's getting cold. Be careful driving home."

She hung up with Rory and stared at her practically untouched pizza box. She cringed at the thought of eating another bite. Not until she heard from Luke. Not until she knew the extent of his dinner with his daughter and ex-girlfriend.

Dinner wasn't as bad as Luke thought it would be. It was kind of nice seeing his daughter and her mother in their element together. It reminded him a lot of Rory and Lorelai. Lorelai. _Shit_ he thought as they walked back to the hotel. _If she was pissed about a piece of luggage, I'm guessing dinner with an ex won't go over so well._ He walked April to her shared room with one of the other girls and made his way towards his own. He undressed down to his boxer briefs and sat down on the edge of the bed. It was only 9:00 p.m., so he knew that Lorelai would still be awake.

"Hello?" she answered in a clipped tone.

"Hey. Were you asleep?" he asked picking up on her tone of voice.

"Nope. How was Jess' thing?" She wanted to give him a chance to provide all the details of his evening.

"It was good actually. I was a little out of my element but he looks great and he's doing some great things there. Rory actually showed up."

Lorelai made a check on her mental check-list. "I didn't even know she knew about it."

"Yeah apparently Jess invited her and she drove down here. She got to finally meet April too."

Another check. "I wish I was there to see it happen, but at least it's one less thing on our 'acclimating April into Stars Hollow' check-list."

"It was nice but by the time she got there we had to leave to make our reservation." Luke held the phone to his ear with his shoulder while he played with his hands nervously. "There's, uh, something I need to tell you."

Lorelai held her breath. The imaginary pen in her head was poised, ready to check off the last topic on her list.

"Anna came to dinner with us tonight."

Check.

"How did that happen?"

"Well apparently her employee was feeling better so she decided to make the trip. Just for tonight, though. She had April's detailed itinerary so she knew exactly where we were. She's leaving early in the morning to head back." He stood and grabbed his toiletry kit.

"How convenient," she snorted unable to hold back her frustration any longer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He stopped what he was doing, toothbrush in midair.

"Gee, Luke. Figure it out. She just so _happened_ to get coverage for her store on the day you have dinner plans with April? I don't buy it." She hopped off her bed and starting pacing, trying to calm her nerves.

"Well what was I supposed to do, Lorelai? Make myself look like a complete asshole in front of April by telling her _mother_ she couldn't have dinner with us? I didn't know she was coming or else I would have said something sooner." He was trying to keep his tone even.

"It's not that you didn't say anything. It's that you don't see what's happening. There's something there, Luke. I told you I felt it." She pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself not to start crying.

"I seem to remember a time when Rory thought the same thing about Christopher but _you_ refused to see that. You even set up a lunch date with him and didn't tell me until after the fact."

It was a low-blow but it was partially true. The only difference was that Lorelai thought if she ignored the signs that Christopher was nothing but toxic for her and Luke's relationship then maybe they _could_ be just friends and prove everyone wrong. Only, she was the one proven wrong.

"You're right," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She sniffled. "But there's a difference when it's a child, with no experience on the situation, trying to give you advice on something they couldn't possibly understand." She hesitated slightly before continuing. "I don't trust her, Luke."

"Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

"Of course," she answered without hesitation. "But it doesn't make this any easier."

"I know but you _know_ me, Lorelai. You _know_ that I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know." She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I just hate that you're gone. It's turning me into a crazy, jealous person." She sniffled again.

"I'll be home before you know it." It killed him that she was home alone and upset but there was nothing he could do about it. "I have to get to sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow. You'll call me when you wake up?"

"Yeah," she whispered, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He ended the call and stared down at the phone. He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. After running his toothbrush under the water, he quickly brushed his teeth and headed for bed. His phone started ringing on the bedside table. Thinking it might be Lorelai, he grabbed it but stopped once he saw the display. ANNA. He hit the button on the side to silence it and placed it back down on the table. _Shit._

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter is where things really start getting angsty. There's two more chapters left so brace yourselves because things will get a little bit rough. The next chapter will combine 'I Get a Sidekick Out of You' and 'Super Cool Party People'. Thanks again for the reviews and feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

Lorelai couldn't sleep. Every time she would doze off, images of Luke having dinner with his ex and their daughter would come to the surface. There was laughing and talking and casual brushes of the hand by one certain blue-eyed, voluptuous woman. Then, there was the walk home from the restaurant in which Anna looped her arm with Luke's and the three of them walked along the sidewalk like a real, happy family. Luke walked Anna to her hotel, up to her room where she held the door open for him to join her. He paused as if he was actually considering it. She stepped into him, running her hand softly down his cheek. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to touch her lips to his…

Lorelai gasped and shot up into a seated position. Her heart was thumping hard in her chest. She looked around her empty bedroom, the light from outside barely starting to shine through the curtains. She looked over at the clock. 6:00 a.m. She groaned slightly, letting her head fall forward into the palms of her hands. _It was just a dream. Get a damn grip_ she thought as she swung her legs off the bed and onto the cold, hardwood floor. She padded downstairs and over to the coffee pot. With Luke being out of town, she was unable to get that perfect blend of whatever specialness he used to make her coffee taste so amazing. Her's just wasn't the same. She carried her mediocre coffee, as well as the garment bag containing Lane's wedding dress, back upstairs. After placing her coffee mug on the dresser and the garment bag on her bed, Lorelai moved the white lounger out of the way to make room for her mannequin. She really didn't feel up to the challenge but she needed this distraction. She couldn't just sit around analyzing another one of her crazy dreams. She put the dress on the mannequin and walked over to retrieve her coffee mug. She took a quick sip. Between the bitterness of the coffee and the bitterness of her mood, she just couldn't help herself. She held out the hand holding the mug and tilted it, pouring hot, brown liquid all over the front of Lane's soon-to-be wedding gown. She stood back, admiring her work, and felt better already. She told Luke she would call when she woke up but she found herself completely immersed in remaking this wedding gown for Lane. On top of that, she also promised to help plan Lane's bachelorette party on Friday. _I'll take all the distractions I can get._ After five hours, the dress was finally done. She had to admit that even she was surprised at how quickly she could get it finished. She placed the dress back into the garment bag and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

* * *

Luke kind of figured he wouldn't hear from Lorelai right away. Their phone call didn't end terribly a few nights ago but things weren't exactly left on a positive note. He decided not to return Anna's call. He figured if it was something important she would have left a voicemail or tried to call him again. Neither of those things happened.

After dropping off Lane's dress and being told by Mrs. Kim that she had to be escorted by a man to the wedding, Lorelai decided it was time to give Luke a call. She couldn't freeze him out much longer.

"You know what's funny?" she asked when he answered the phone. "Even when I have a man, I'm still the girl who doesn't have a man."

"Okay, I'm gonna need a little more information." He was confused but completely relieved to hear from her.

"Mrs. Kim."

"Ah."

"She says I can't show up to Lane's wedding alone. That because of the way I dress, their family will _assume_ things about me. And you're my man and you're not here which is why I said even when I _have_ a man I still don't have a man." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry I haven't called. I needed to...decompress."

"I figured that. It's fine. And I'm sorry about not being there for Lane's wedding. Had I known it was going to be this soon, I would have factored it into the trip."

"I know. It's not _your_ fault your fiancée apparently dresses like a whore. Maybe I'll ask Michel to come with me. Where are you? It sounds busy."

"We're in Lancaster. Amish Country. It's actually pretty neat. Kind of like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting but it's pretty charming."

" _Charming_?" She couldn't help but chuckle. "Well remember, Mister, you have to buy me something. That was our deal." She parked her Jeep on the side of the street and cut off the engine. "I have to go run into the party store. I'm making gift bags for Lane's bachelorette party tonight, but I'll call you later."

"Okay. We're about to head into this little cafe for lunch." He paused for a moment. "I miss you. I can't wait to be back home."

Lorelai couldn't help but grin. She missed him like crazy despite still being somewhat upset about the situation with Anna. "I miss you too. Now go. And don't forget to buy me something." She hung up with Luke and exited her Jeep. She felt lighter than she had in days and she hoped the feeling would carry on throughout the rest of the week.

"Hey, Lor! You have a minute?"

She cringed slightly. She was so distracted by Sookie's enormous, phallic-shaped cookies and Michel dancing in the lobby of the inn that she didn't even check the display on her phone before answering.

"U-um, yes. I have a minute. Make it quick."

"I just got Rory one of those Sidekicks. Actually I got it for her a couple of days ago, so she already has it. Then I realized that it's one of those things I should have run past you, so I'm running it past you now. Is that okay? 'Cause if it's not, I can take it back. I'll just say I read something in consumer reports about radiation levels."

Lorelai tried to temper down her annoyance. It was so like Christopher to call about something that had absolutely nothing to do with _her_.

She exhaled sharply, "Chris, we're way past the point where you have to get my _permission_ to buy your own daughter a gift."

"We are?" He sounded so surprised.

"Yes, we are. And I really wasn't kidding about that minute. I have a million things going on today." She could hear the coldness in her tone, but she needed him to get the message.

"I hear you loud and clear, Lor. Sorry I bothered you."

"Bye, Chris."

The bachelorette party that night wasn't exactly the evening they had planned but it was still fun while it lasted. They all left Brian's aunt's house around 11:00 p.m. and Lorelai and Rory walked home together.

"You never told me what happened with Luke. Did he end up calling you that night?" Rory leaned into her mother for support. They weren't drunk but they did have a few drinks and were feeling slightly buzzed.

"He did. He told me everything. He said that Anna just showed up out of the blue and he couldn't say no to her joining them for dinner with April standing right there." She shrugged as they walked up the driveway.

"Does he not think it's a little weird that she would just _show up_ after she said she couldn't go in the first place?" Rory leaned against the front door as Lorelai unlocked it.

"I'm sure a part of him does, but he's trying so hard to stay focused on doing right by April and staying on everyone's good side. I think he's scared that if he pushes back a little bit, Anna might get mad and keep April from him." Lorelai stopped at the desk in the living room and removed the tiara and light-up necklace she was wearing.

"Wow. Poor Luke. At least you know _he_ would never do anything stupid to hurt you. He's a rare one, that man." Rory kissed her mother on the cheek and went to her room to get ready for bed.

"Yeah, he is." Lorelai trudged upstairs and hoped for a much better night's sleep.

* * *

The wedding on Saturday was a success. Or weddings, as it turned out. Michel was actually turning out to be the perfect plus one. As soon as the reception started, and the Yummy Bartenders bar was opened up, he bolted for a drink and hit the dance floor.

"Ooh, extra cherries, cheers!" Lorelai was seated at a table with Sookie and Jackson when Rory sat down to join them with a Manhattan for her and her mother.

"Cheers." They clinked glasses and took a sip. "Where's Michel?"

"Shaking his groove thang, as he likes to call it. Apparently every song is his _jam._ " Lorelai took another swig of her drink, capturing a cherry into her mouth in the process. "I must say, he _is_ the perfect date. He can do what he wants, he's not invading my personal space and there's no expectations for the end of the night."

"I'm sure you'd rather have Luke here. He's not much of a dancer but I'm sure the night would end pretty well." Rory waggled her eyebrows at her mother.

"Don't work blue," said Lorelai in mock offense. She polished off the rest of her drink and popped another cherry into her mouth. "He'll be home in three days and all will be right in the world."

Rory gave her mother a small smile. "Refill?"

Lorelai held out her glass with a cheeky grin.

* * *

Lorelai awoke Tuesday morning to Luke pressed up against her backside. His body was warm and hard at the small of her back. She grinned and wiggled her bottom just a tiny bit. His arm lifted up and wrapped around her waist, hugging her tightly. She peeked open one eye to check the clock. 8:00 a.m. She turned over to face him, making sure he was not, in fact, a mirage. He wore his undershirt, boxer briefs, and a smile. Lorelai squealed with delight and peppered his face with tiny kisses causing him to laugh out loud.

"Hi," she breathed, holding his face in her hands. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be here. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep." He smoothed her hair out of her face.

"Are you kidding me?" She captured his lips with hers and kissed him long and slow. He rolled over, pinning her underneath his body. He kissed his way down her neck before disappearing under the blanket. Lorelai closed her eyes, letting the sensations wash over her. _Welcome home, indeed_ she thought with a smirk.

A few hours later, Lorelai was seated at the counter in the diner eating lunch. When Luke had got back earlier that morning, he went straight to the diner to help Caesar open up. He left all his luggage and belongings there before walking home to see Lorelai.

"I almost forgot about your gift," said Luke reaching underneath the counter.

"You mean that surprise in the bedroom this morning wasn't my gift?" she asked in a low voice unable to hide the grin on her face.

Luke gave her a pointed look and handed her the doll he had gotten for her. "I picked it up when we were in Amish Country. Little Amish girls hand make them."

"Oh," she chuckled. "It's adorable." She turned to face Miss Patty. "Look, Patty, an Amish voodoo doll."

"It's not a voodoo doll. It's just a doll. The Amish don't put faces on their dolls or pins _in_ them."

"Oh, well, it's my doll now. What the Amish don't know won't hurt them. Unless, of course, I want to hurt them." She waggled her eyebrows at him.

Luke gave up the battle. "It's yours to do with what you will. So, uh, I know it's a little last minute but tomorrow's April's birthday and I told her we'd throw a party for her."

"You're kidding? How did that happen?" She grabbed her coffee mug and took a quick sip.

"Well I was dropping her off this morning, and Anna mentioned to me that she was taking her to her grandmother's to celebrate, and she couldn't swing a party here with her friends, so I figured I know her friends now. I got a great place to hold a party."

"What? Here?" she chuckled at the thought of Luke closing the diner down for an afternoon to host a party for a bunch of teenagers.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "why not? I figured we could put some decorations up. I already ordered the balloons and the cake. We just have to get her a gift."

"Look at you, diving into fatherhood. I'm so happy for you, Babe. When did you want to go shopping?" She dredged her last fry through the ketchup on her plate and popped it into her mouth.

"I guess whenever you're done. It's been pretty quiet in here. I'm sure I can duck out for a few hours." He cleared her plate and filled a to-go cup of coffee for the road. He loaded up his belongings from the trip into the back of his truck and he followed Lorelai home so he could offload it.

Two hours later, they were walking around New Haven when an idea finally came to Lorelai.

"What do you think of this? We bring the girls to the beauty store and let them pick out all the things they would need to do makeovers! I'm talking the works. Highlighted hair clip ons and tons of makeup. I think they would _love_ that." She looped her arm through his as they walked.

"You're the expert." They stopped in front of a little boutique that sold random novelty items. "What do you think about that for April?" He pointed to a cat-patterned, 5-piece bathroom set.

"April who?" Lorelai giggled.

"Come on. It's cute. It's girly and it's got cats on it."

"Oh, well, if it's got cats on it," she said sarcastically.

"April likes cats. I think I'm gonna get that."

"Okay. But can I at least suggest a follow-up gift just in case this one says 'Happy birthday, now go clean yourself up'?"

"That's fine. We can get something else to go with it, but I _need_ to do this. I'll just be a couple of minutes."

Lorelai shook her head and smiled. _Men._

* * *

The next afternoon, Luke was hanging the 'Happy Birthday' sign in the diner while Lorelai ran over to the beauty shop to get everything ready and to pick up the cake. He took a look around and couldn't believe it. Who would have guessed a year, hell, even six months ago that he would be decorating his diner to host a teenage girl's birthday party? As agonizing as the whole experience started out to be, he had really enjoyed the last three months and getting to know his daughter. Before he knew it, April and all her friends were starting to arrive. There was a mixup at Weston's with the cake, so Lorelai hadn't got back just yet.

Anna entered the diner and a feeling of nostalgia washed over her. When her and Luke first got together, he was in the process of getting the hardware store turned into the diner. It opened the summer they had broken up and she hadn't been back since. She didn't want to ask what Luke had planned for the party. Mostly because she didn't want to come across as judgmental just in case the plans weren't exactly up to teenage girl par. He would have to learn these things eventually and she hoped, deep down, that one year they would be planning a party for April together.

"You seem to be all set. I'm gonna head out. You have my cell number so feel free to call if you need anything." Anna walked slowly to the door trying to stall her departure.

"I've got your cell number, your store number, your store fax number, your home number. You are 100% reachable." He gave her a small smile and opened up the door for her. He glanced across the square and saw Lorelai coming toward the diner carrying April's cake.

"Good." She gave him an appreciative nod. "The diner looks great by the way. I was here when you opened it, remember?" She gave him a knowing smile as they locked eyes for just a moment.

"I remember," he said softly. He looked back at the square and noticed that Lorelai had got stopped by Kirk near the gazebo. He closed the door behind Anna and nervously stood there in a room full of teenage girls. He immediately went into panic mode, spouting off things about them remaining in the party area and to not go into the kitchen or leave the diner.

"Hey, everybody! I'm Lorelai Gilmore. Thank you _so_ much for your patience. I'm really glad you guys waited to start the party until I got here." She was out of breath from practically running away from Kirk. She walked over to the counter and set down April's cake. She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Where's the birthday girl?"

"Right here! Hey, Lorelai." April walked up and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Sweetie." She grabbed a birthday tiara and placed it on top of April's head. "All right! Everyone line up, single file behind us." The girls did as they were told. "Now take the hand of the person in front of you and the person in back of you. Luke, you pull up the rear. I'll take the lead."

"Should we bring our stuff?" asked April as she followed Lorelai out the door of the diner.

"No, leave it. We'll be back." They headed out single file along the sidewalk.

"Alright everybody try to walk at the same pace. You step on somebody's heels, you could break an ankle. And watch out for the traffic, not just cars, but bikes. People in this town ride their bikes like maniacs." Luke stopped to close the diner door and then ran to catch up to the group.

"Luke!" Lorelai shouted to get him to stop rambling.

The party was a definite hit. The girls absolutely loved the makeover idea. Luke was so grateful to have Lorelai be a part of all of it. _This fatherhood thing may not be so bad_ he thought as he lay in the store room listening to the girls play 'Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board' upstairs in his old apartment.

* * *

The next morning, Luke got up early to cook all the girls a big breakfast. One by one, they eventually all trudged down the stairs. After passing out plates of pancakes to everyone, Luke made his way upstairs to check on the last member of the party who had yet to make her appearance.

"Lorelai?" he called out as soon as he entered the quiet apartment.

"In here!" She was in the bathroom removing the glittered heart that was painted on her cheek and the neon green and blonde clip-on highlights in her hair.

He poked his head inside the open bathroom door. "Breakfast is ready. I put some pancakes aside for you when I noticed how the girls seemed to be wolfing down the ones I gave them."

"I have to run home and change for work. Put 'em in a container for me? I can eat them on the way." She turned out the bathroom light and followed him to the front door.

He stopped before opening it and slowly turned to face her. She gave him a confused look but before she could ask him what was wrong he reached for her wrist and pulled her flush against his body. Threading his fingers through her hair, he gently touched his lips to hers. He pulled back and they both smiled at one another. He went in for another kiss, this time deepening it and turning her around so that she was pressed up against the door.

"What was that for?" Lorelai asked, panting after they finally broke apart.

"Just a little thank you for yesterday. The party, the gift. I couldn't have done it without you." He smoothed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

" _Yes_ , you could have."

"Nah. I probably would have ended up locking myself in the store room while the girls fell asleep at the tables out of boredom." He opened the apartment door and led Lorelai downstairs. "I'll get your pancakes." He gave her a quick kiss and went into the kitchen to retrieve her breakfast.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" April called out when she returned home later that morning. When Anna didn't respond, April made her way through the house until she reached the connecting door that lead into the boutique.

"Hey, Kiddo. How was it?" Anna was behind the counter hanging up a new shipment of neon-colored bracelets.

"So much fun! We gave each other makeovers and ate junk food. It was the best." She walked over and grabbed one of the bracelets, rolling it over her wrist and inspecting the way it looked.

"I can't imagine Luke giving anyone a makeover," she chuckled with a slight shake of the head.

"No way." April laughed at the thought of Luke applying makeup on her friends. "Lorelai did a good job, though. She even drew a purple, glitter heart on my cheek."

Anna froze in place. She assumed, since Luke hadn't mentioned it, that Lorelai wasn't going to be a part of the party. She definitely wasn't at the diner when Anna arrived. "Lorelai was there?" She tried to keep her tone as even as possible.

"Well, yeah. She's the one who suggested the slumber party," April said as if it was obvious.

"You didn't tell me that when you called last night. And I'm sure the other girls didn't tell their parents either. How could you not say something?"

"Mom, what's the big deal? Lorelai is gre-"

"The big _deal_ ," Anna interrupted knowing what her daughter was about to say, "is that you're supposed to be getting to know _Luke_. I don't care how _great_ his girlfriend is. _She's_ not a part of the deal we made. _She's_ not a part of this family, April."

"They're engaged, Mom. She _will_ be a part of the family," April said quietly not fully understanding why her mother was so upset.

"I have to get out of here for a little while." Anna turned to grab her coat and her purse. She could feel her blood pressure rising. "Kristy is in the back doing inventory. Tell her I stepped out."

Anna slammed the door to the boutique and April stood there, watching as her mother got into her car and sped off down the driveway.

Anna was livid. Realistically she knew that Lorelai would most likely make an appearance at the party but she didn't think that she would plan everything out. She also knew she was grasping at straws when she mentioned the other girls' parents. They would actually probably prefer that the girls spent a night with a woman versus a man that they'd never met. It didn't matter. She worked too hard for thirteen years to just step back and let some woman try and take over. Before she knew it, Anna was taking the exit to Stars Hollow. She had one shot at fixing all of this and she had to take it.

Luke was in the middle of switching out a customer's pancakes for ones without glitter when he heard the diner door open so hard it nearly knocked the bell off of it's hinges.

"Anna, hey. How-"

"We need to talk." She cut him off and headed towards the curtain that led upstairs.

"Caesar, I'll be back." Luke sighed and followed Anna up the stairs. She was already in the apartment by the time he reached the landing.

She spun around and pointed her her finger at him. "How could you do this?! You said you wanted to throw her a party, Luke, _you_."

Luke was taken aback and completely confused. "I _did_."

"No, you had your _girlfriend_ throw her a party. This is not our agreement." She started pacing angrily, her arms folded over her chest.

He reached out to touch her arm, desperately wanting to calm her down so he could understand where all this anger was coming from. "Lorelai was just helping out. We planned the party _together_."

"Helping out?" She stopped pacing and turned to face him. She narrowed her eyes. "You never once mentioned that she would be _helping out._ If I can't trust you, Luke, this arrangement is not gonna work. April is not a sweater that you're _borrowing_. She's _my_ kid. I have to know where she is and who she's with always."

Luke's patience was running thin. She kept _his_ child away from him for almost thirteen years and she had the nerve to bring up _trust._

"When have I _ever_ given you a reason not to trust me. I just spent ten days on a field trip with her and you didn't say a peep. But because Lorelai is involved this time, you have a problem."

All Anna could do was shake her head at him. "You're missing the point."

"I'm trying to do what's right here, Anna. You've had thirteen years to find your footing. I've had thirteen weeks," said Luke in a low, even tone.

"If you were trying to do what's right, Luke, you'd want _me._ You'd want to put our _family_ together."

Luke gaped at her. "What?" he asked in a whisper. "You know I can't do that. I'm _engaged_ to Lorelai."

Anna felt tears prick the back of her eyes. "Engaged isn't married, Luke."

Without giving it a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. Tears started to flow instantly. Luke was stunned. He didn't know how to respond. Slowly, he lifted his arms and patted her on her back trying his best to soothe her. She turned her head to face his neck, breathing him in deep as her lips touched his skin.

Between her confession and the crying, it took him a second to register what she was doing. When he felt her suck hard on the tender spot below his ear, Luke pulled his neck away.

"Anna, I-"

She cut him off with a fierce, hungry kiss that knocked him back against his apartment door. And just for a tiny moment; a split second, she would swear that she felt him relax and give in to the kiss.

* * *

 **A/N:** One more chapter to go! The last chapter will twist the rest of 'Super Cool Party People' with some of 'Driving Miss Gilmore'. Thanks again for all the reviews! I hope this chapter helped in understanding _why_ Luke's radar wasn't exactly up when it came to Anna. It's a situation where a person has a thing for you but because you don't feel the same way, you totally miss the signs. And like he tells Lorelai, he just needs this to work. Of course, this thought process is before he sees Anna's true colors and what her intentions actually are. Does that make sense?


	6. Chapter 6

Lorelai was standing at her kitchen table unpacking her and Luke's Chinese food dinner when she heard the front door open and close.

"Thank god. I am _so_ nutrition-deprived. All I've eaten in the last two days is cake, candy, cookies, and about 10 pounds of flavored lip gloss." She looked over as Luke walked into the kitchen looking somewhat disheveled.

"I'm not hungry," he said in shaky voice before clearing his throat. "We need to talk."

"Okay." She put the container of food she was holding down on the table and took a seat in the chair behind her. "Sit down. You don't look so good." Something was definitely wrong, she could feel it which made her incredibly nervous.

Luke pulled out a chair and turned it so that he could face her. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and took a deep breath. "Something happened today."

Lorelai furrowed her eyebrows. "Okay. What?"

"Anna came to the diner." He looked down at his hands, playing with them nervously.

"Why?" she asked quietly, her heart starting to race with anxiety.

"She was mad. Mad that I didn't tell her you were helping plan the party. Mad that you spent the night."

"Luke, that's crazy. She had to have known that I would be there. She _knows_ I exist. It's not like you kept me a secret until now." Anna was surely becoming Lorelai's least favorite person by the minute. "What did you tell her?"

Luke sighed. "I told her that I'm trying my best. This is all so new to me and I'm still trying to find my footing."

"Good." She reached out to grab one of his hands. "You shouldn't be afraid-"

"She kissed me, Lorelai," he blurted out, interrupting her.

Lorelai felt like he just punched her in the stomach. She tried to take a few calming breaths but it wasn't working. "Wh-where?" she stuttered, trying to keep herself from crying.

"In my apartment."

"In your…?" She couldn't even form the words. She closed her eyes to try and regroup. "Why was she in your apartment, Luke?"

"She burst through the diner door and said she needed to talk, headed straight for the stairs and let herself in." He paused for a moment to brace himself. "She told me that I should want to be with _her_ and that doing what's right would mean putting our family together, her and I."

Lorelai's anxiety quickly grew into fury. "I told you. I _told_ you," she said through gritted teeth. "So, then what? She tells you that you two should be together and then she kisses you?"

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what, this whole situation has changed everything. He can't go back now. He can only be honest and hope that Lorelai will understand. He released the breath and opened his eyes.

"I told her that you and I are engaged and that I couldn't do what she was asking me to do. She started to cry and hugged me. I just wanted to comfort her." His voice was starting to crack with emotion.

Lorelai just stared at him, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Before I knew it, she was kissing my neck. I pulled away and," he paused to gauge her reaction. He met her gaze only her eyes weren't focused on his. They were focused on the right side of his neck. "Lorelai?"

"Is that…?" she asked quietly. She could feel the bile rising in her throat.

His hand immediately went to the spot on his neck where Anna had initially kissed him, leaving a small, red spot as proof. "Lorelai…" He reached out for her but she jumped up out of her seat.

"I'm gonna be sick," she cried with her hand covering her mouth. She ran over to the sink and emptied the contents of her stomach. Sobs wracked her body as she clung to the counter for support. Luke was immediately at her side, rubbing her back to try and calm her down. When her crying started to subside, Luke reached over and turned on the faucet to rinse out the sink.

"You need some water." He walked over to the table and grabbed one of the empty glasses that was sitting there. After filling it at the water cooler, he walked back over to her and held out the glass. She accepted the proffered water and took a gulp. She swished the water around in her mouth and spit it out into the sink. She took a few, tiny sips before setting the glass down on the counter.

She took a deep breath and sighed. "I think you should go."

"What? No. Lorelai…" He stepped toward her but she held up her hand, signaling for him to stop.

She shook her head quickly and closed her eyes, tears coming back to the surface. "I can't even look at you right now, Luke." She sniffled and started walking towards the living room.

"Lorelai, wait!" He followed behind her and just as she was about to bolt for the stairs he cut her off. "Nothing happened. She kissed me. I pushed her off. I told her she had to leave and I closed the door behind her." His eyes were pleading with her to understand.

"You make it sound so quick, yet there was time for her to brand your neck and _then_ , as if that wasn't enough,proceed to kiss you. It's just all a little hard to believe." She tried to go around him but he moved to block her path.

"I've never lied to you, Lorelai. Ever. You know me. Why would I come home and risk losing everything by telling you this?"

She stepped up on the next step so that they were at equal heights. She looked him straight in the eyes and said sadly, "Maybe you wanted a way out." She climbed the rest of the stairs and slammed their bedroom door.

Luke's legs felt like Jell-O. He held himself steady against the banister and slowly sat down on the landing. He rested his arms on top of his knees, his fists were clenched into tight balls in front of him. After a few minutes, he stood and descended the stairs. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed the other empty glass that sat on the table. He filled it with water and downed the entire thing in three gulps. Looking down at the glass, he thought about throwing it against the wall and shattering it into a million pieces. It wouldn't do any good. It wouldn't change the fact that Lorelai was so disgusted by the thought of another woman's mouth on his. And not just any woman. A woman she tried to warn him about.

Locking the front door behind him, Luke trudged back to the diner. He would give her her space. Whatever she needed. But he sure as hell wasn't giving up.

* * *

Anna drove home from Luke's the day before feeling more alive than she had in years. Even though she was unable to get him to agree to a relationship with her, Anna knew she created the tiniest of cracks in what appeared to be a flawless relationship between Luke and Lorelai. All she had to do now was wait.

* * *

Lorelai awoke to a sun-filled bedroom. Sleep did not come easy for her the night before. She got sick one more time before she was able to calm down enough to take some Melatonin to help relaxation kick in. The light from the windows caught the diamond on her engagement ring and a knot formed in her stomach. It was bright and beautiful, the complete opposite of what she was feeling at the moment. She shoved her hand underneath her pillow and willed herself to fall back asleep. After thirty minutes, she gave up hope. She sat up with a groan and reached for her cell phone on the side table next to the bed. She had turned it off so she wouldn't be disturbed and also so she wouldn't be tempted to call Luke. She turned it on and saw she had a voicemail waiting for her. She decided to listen to it.

"Hey, it's me. I can't sleep and I was hoping you were having the same problem. Not that I _want_ you to not be able to sleep but if it's because you're missing me like I'm missing you then I would be fine with that. I'm _sorry_ , Lorelai. You have no idea how sorry I am. You tried to warn me and I still didn't see it coming. But you were wrong about one thing. I don't want out. I'm still _all_ in. And I'm not giving up on us. I'll give you space if that's what you want but don't expect me to stop calling. I love you, Lorelai."

She stared down at the phone in her lap, a single tear running down her cheek. Two days ago they were on top of the world and completely happy. Two days ago they made love right here after spending ten, torturous days apart. Their wedding day was barely two months away. In an instant, she felt like it was completely being ripped away from her. She didn't deserve this. She had been incredibly supportive of Luke since the day he found out that April being his child was a possibility. At the time, it never occurred to her that things could get so complicated. Maybe she should have been a little more cautious and not so care free. Maybe she should have stayed out of it to protect her own heart. She shook her head to dismiss the crazy thoughts that were forming. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, needing to face the day but not 100% ready to do so.

Unfortunately, Luke had a business to run. As much as he wanted to just sit on the porch of their house until she was ready to forgive him, he couldn't. He promised her her space and that's what he would give her. Work, and being annoyed by Kirk, was providing to be a nice distraction. Still, he couldn't help but look up in hope every time the bells jingled signaling a new customer entering the diner. After Liz stopped by with the news of her impending pregnancy and the apparent flakiness of her husband, Luke decided to try Lorelai again on her cell. And, again, it went to voicemail.

"It's me. I'm at the diner because where else would I be on a Monday morning. Liz just left here. Apparently she is _pregnant_. Crazy right? What's even crazier is that she says T.J. bailed on her when he found out the news. I don't know why I called to tell you that. Maybe I just want to make sure you know I'm _not_ bailing. It's dumb, I know. But not as dumb as T.J. can be. I do have the urge to go find him and knock some sense into him. If you get a call from me telling you that I've been arrested, you'll know why. _Please_ call me, Lorelai. I'm going crazy here."

Lorelai listened to her message and sighed. She was about to dial the number to the diner when her phone suddenly rang. It was her mother, completely distraught over her botched Lasik eye procedure. She somehow convinced Lorelai to drive out to Hartford to assist her with some errands. Dealing with someone else's drama for a few hours would help take her mind off of her own. She climbed into her Jeep and drove through Stars Hollow. She so badly wanted to stop at Luke's, especially since she hadn't had coffee all morning, but decided against it. She passed in front of the diner and prayed that she wouldn't get stopped by the red light. She took a right and quickly headed out of town. She had turned off her radio, hoping the silence would be a calming force, but after a few minutes she needed some kind of distraction. She hit the power button and scrolled through the stations. Nothing sounded good. She hit the CD button and hoped that whatever was in the player would be good enough for the rest of the drive to Hartford. She completely forgot that the last CD she played in her Jeep was the U2 album 'The Joshua Tree', which had one of her absolute favorite songs on it. The song started, as if on cue, and the tears started to flow.

 _See the stone set in your eyes_

 _See the thorn twist in your side_

 _I'll wait for you_

 _Sleight of hand and twist of fate_

 _On a bed of nails she makes me wait_

 _And I wait, without you_

 _With or without you_

 _With or without you_

 _Through the storm we reach the shore_

 _You give it all but I want more_

 _And I'm waiting for you_

 _With or without you_

 _With or without you_

 _I can't live_

 _With or without you_

She pulled over to the side of the road to get herself together. She loved Luke and she knew that nothing would change that. But she had to know that if things continued for them, married or not, Anna would _not_ interfere. She whipped her Jeep around and headed south. Her mother's errands would have to wait. Lorelai needed to talk to Anna herself.

Luke was glad that he was able to smooth things out between his sister and T.J. If only things were that simple for him and Lorelai. He still had not heard from her. He left her another message letting her know that he did not, in fact, have to beat up his brother-in-law and that he was heading home. When he left the night before, he didn't bring anything with him. He pulled into the driveway and was somewhat relieved when he didn't see her Jeep. The last thing he wanted was to make her think he was breaking his promise of staying away, which in reality he desperately wanted to do. He let himself into the house and walked through the foyer. The house had a different feel to it. The air felt thicker instead of the usual lightness that surrounded Lorelai. It was only 1:00 p.m., but the house was dark. It was as if the house had somehow conformed to match her mood. Images of the way her usually bright, blue eyes darkened when she told him that maybe he wanted a way out came to the surface. Luke pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He exhaled loudly and headed for their bedroom, taking the steps two at a time. He entered the bedroom and the first thing he noticed was the unmade bed. Lorelai wasn't the best housekeeper, despite her many years working as a maid, but the bed was always made before she left. He toed off his boots and unbuttoned his flannel. After pulling off both shirts, he stripped out of his jeans and carried the discarded garments into the bathroom. He reached into the shower and turned it on before placing his dirty clothes into the hamper. He showered quickly, trying desperately to wash off the last 24 hours of his life. After pulling on a clean pair of boxer briefs, Luke sat down on Lorelai's side of the bed and looked around. Exhaustion quickly took over and he found himself lying on her pillow, the scent of her peach shampoo embedded into it. He went to snake his arm underneath it when he felt something small and sharp brush against his hand. Sitting up, he lifted her pillow to see her engagement ring lying underneath it. With his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he picked up the ring and held it in his palm. Balling up his fist around the ring, he squeezed it tight. He pressed his fist to the center of his head and laid back down, staring up at the ceiling. _Shit._

Lorelai had no clue where Anna's house was located. In the three months since having April in their lives, not once had she accompanied Luke in picking April up or bringing her home. _Maybe if I had, Anna would have known not to cross that line with Luke._ She closed her eyes tightly for a second a willed herself not to go back and analyze everything she _could_ have done. She stopped at a little cafe in Woodbridge and hoped like hell they knew of Anna and, also, that they had decent coffee. She found what she was looking for. After following the rather easy directions and polishing off her to-go cup of coffee, Lorelai pulled into the front of the boutique. She lowered her mirror to check her reflection and immediately noticed that something was missing. She looked at her bare left hand and immediately started to panic.

"Oh, my god," she whispered as she started to dig around in her purse. Suddenly, it hit her. She remembered being so annoyed by the cheeriness of her ring this morning that she took it off and held it in her hand. At some point, she must have let go of it and didn't notice. She took a deep breath to try and steel herself. She exited her Jeep and made her way up the stairs to the boutique.

The door chimed signaling a new customer, so Anna made her way to the front of the store. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was waiting for her. She arched one eyebrow and gave Lorelai a smirk.

"Is there something I can help you find?" she asked coolly, walking behind the counter to give them somewhat of a barrier.

"Yes, actually. I was in the market for a manipulative hobbit who likes to use her own kid to get what she wants. Know where I can find one of those?"

Anna exhaled sharply. "Look, I'm kind of busy here. I don't have time-"

"Why?" Lorelai asked through gritted teeth. "I have been nothing but supportive of this whole _fucked_ up situation. _I_ was the one who encouraged him to reach out. _I_ was the one who helped him see that he would be a great dad. I didn't deserve for this to happen. So, again, I'm asking you _why_."

"Can you honestly tell me that you've never wanted to have your family, your _true_ family together? That once you got a glimpse of how things could be, you would do anything to make that happen?"

"You're right. I used to often think that it would be nice to be with the father of my kid and we almost were at one point. But I would _never_ try to break up what he has to further _my_ own agenda. _Never._ " Lorelai placed her palms down on the counter. She had to do something to keep from reaching out and throttling this vindictive monster standing in front of her.

Anna's eyes fell down towards Lorelai's empty left hand and she couldn't help but perk up slightly. She focused her eyes on Lorelai's face and shook her head slightly with a smile. "So, it wasn't all for nothing after all." When Lorelai narrowed her eyes, Anna continued, "I'm guessing Luke told you what happened yesterday. I figured he would. He was always an honest man. I made sure to leave a mark just in case though, you never know these days what some men are capable of. I didn't know thirteen years ago that Luke would be a capable father. Now look at him. You've turned him into the perfect dad and I'm assuming the perfect husband. Well, maybe not _your_ husband." She gestured to Lorelai's ring finger.

Lorelai jerked her hand away and chuckled. "Really? You actually thought Luke was going to come home, tell me what _you_ did to him, and say 'It's been _real_ nice but I think I'm gonna give it another go with the bitch who kept my child away from me'? The thing is, you have _no_ idea what our relationship has been like. We built our relationship on friendship and trust. And I _completely_ trust him. And I'm _going_ to marry him. So you need to back off because you're only going to hurt yourself." Lorelai glared at Anna for a second then turned to head for the door.

"You didn't really think that was going to work, did you?" Anna called out just as Lorelai reached for the door.

Lorelai turned and shrugged. "I think I made myself pretty clear. Did I leave anything out?" She took a step forward and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No. That was a really nice speech. But you were leaving before you got a chance to hear mine. Here's the thing. You may have _known_ Luke a lot longer and you two have your special relationship but we share a _child_ together. And over these last few months, Luke has grown extremely fond of that child."

"I know all of this. What's your point?" Lorelai asked, her patience running thin.

"Marry Luke and he _won't_ see his daughter again."

"Really?" Lorelai couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you honestly think that can happen? If you do, you're even crazier than I thought."

"I think the question is are you willing to be the person that stands in the way of a man and his daughter?"

"I am _not_ the person standing in the way, you are! Luke has a right to see April and you are a _horrible_ human to do that to him because of some thirteen-year crush you've had." Lorelai was seething. She's never wanted to hit a person more in her life than she did at this particular moment.

"Hmm, well. I have work to do. You might want to think about what I said. After all, I have _really_ enjoyed having Luke around." She arched her eyebrow and grinned.

Lorelai yanked open the door to the boutique and jogged to her Jeep. She had left her cell phone in the car and when she retrieved it she saw five missed calls from her mother, one from Luke and two voicemails. After backing her Jeep out of the boutique's parking lot, Lorelai listened to the voicemails.

"Lorelai, it's your mother. I don't know what route you decided to take to get here but I've missed my appointment at the nail salon. We have just enough time to pick up my prescriptions and head to my final appointment of the day. It's not until five o'clock."

Lorelai checked the time. 3:30 p.m. It was a 45 minute drive from Woodbridge to Hartford, so she knew she would make it in time to help her mother. She listened to the second message.

"Hey, it's me. Look. I know it's only been a day but I'm going crazy here. I'm at home and you're not here and it feels…wrong. And I, uh, found your ring. I'm starting to think the worse here, Lorelai. If I don't hear back from you soon, I guess that means-"

Lorelai pulled her phone away from her ear. Dead. In her Anna-and-Luke-induced fog last night, she forgot to charge her cell phone. She turned her focus back to the road. There was nothing she could do about it now.

Luke awoke extremely disoriented. It wasn't like him to take naps during the day and he was quickly reminded as to why. It took him a second to register what the sound was that he was hearing. _The phone._ He jumped up and ran down the stairs but the machine had already picked up. It was Emily looking for Lorelai. She sounded slightly agitated, so he hesitated before picking up the phone.

"Hello?" he croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello? Emily?"

"Luke? Have you seen Lorelai? She was supposed to be here to take me to run errands and I've already missed one appointment and I can't miss the last one."

"Emily, slow down. No, I haven't seen her. We've been…missing each other's calls today. But you talked to her?"

"Yes, of course. I called her around one o'clock and she said she was on her way."

Luke sighed. "Well if you hear from her or she shows up just…tell her I'll see her when she gets home. And I'll tell her to call you if I hear from her."

Lorelai arrived at her parent's house a few minutes later. The first thing she noticed was the giant, black SUV sitting in the driveway. She let herself into the house, remembering that her mother mentioned that she let go of the latest maid.

"Mom?" Lorelai called out into the darkened house. She found her mother sprawled out on the couch in the living room wearing huge, dark sunglasses.

"Lorelai? Where have you been? I've called half a dozen times and I even talked to Luke-"

"Luke?! You talked to Luke? What did he say? How did he sound?"

"He sounded like Luke. He said he would see you when you got home. Now, we have to go. I need my prescriptions before infection sets in and I can't miss my last appointment." Emily stood up and grabbed Lorelai for support.

"Mom, can I just call Luke real quick? My cell phone died and-"

"Did you not hear me say _infection_ , Lorelai? You wouldn't want me to lose my sense of sight now would you?"

Lorelai sighed. It was a losing battle. "Of course not, Mom."

She led her mother outside and walked her over to her Jeep. "Here we go."

Emily pulled back. "We have to take the other car. I ordered it especially. It has the darkest windows available."

Lorelai followed her mother over the large SUV. "Well, who's gonna drive it? I thought you said the driver left."

"You are," Emily responded as if the answer were obvious.

Lorelai stopped short. "I can't drive that. I'm sure you need a special license or something."

Emily opened the backdoor to the SUV and held out her hand for Lorelai to assist her. "Don't be so dramatic, Lorelai. We need to get going."

They drove around to three different pharmacies until Emily was satisfied with her non-generic prescriptions. She wouldn't exactly say where the appointment was, so Emily was only giving Lorelai turn-by-turn instructions. Finally, they pulled up in front of a real estate office.

"This is a real estate office. In Beacon Falls. We've driven almost as far as Stars Hollow and now I'm going to have to drive you all the way back to Hartford. What errand do you have to run at a real estate office, Mom?"

"Are you coming?" Emily asked as she started to climb out. "Don't forget to lock the doors."

"Ugh!" Lorelai shouted in frustration. She followed her mother inside and watched as Emily greeted the agent, whose name was Lorene. She stood aside quietly trying to figure out what was going on. They were led into a small room with a presentation set up. They sat down and waited for Lorene to fill them in.

"So, I talked to the owner, and he said that they would be willing to throw in any of the furniture or appliances that we might like, completely up to you. The pictures are pretty complete, but I can get us in this weekend if you would like to take a closer look yourself." said Lorene gesturing to the pictures behind her.

"Do you, Mom? Do you want to take a closer look?" asked Lorelai sarcastically, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Lorene continued undeterred, "This is only the second time that this house has been on the market in 100 years. It's got 5 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths with a library, a sun porch. It's on three acres with a very small what they call a fishing hole, which is really a little pond, but it's very charming, and it has stables for horses. The roof is in good shape, but I think that the plumbing will need some updating. But the sellers are motivated, and I think it's a pretty special property."

Lorelai looked from her mother to Lorene and back at her mother. " _Why_ are you looking at this house, Mom?"

"Lorene, would you give us a minute?" Emily asked. She waited for Lorene to step out before continuing. "Well, what do you think?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I think it's a beautiful house, but you already _have_ a beautiful house, Mom."

"Oh I know, this house is not for me. It's for you." Emily watched her daughter carefully trying to gauge her reaction.

Lorelai gaped at her mother. "Me?" she asked softly. "You mean, all that running around Stars Hollow, you and dad were looking for a house for _me_?" She stood and walked over to the pictures that were set up. The house was really beautiful. Lorelai could totally see her and Luke living there. Rory could have her own room as well as April. _April_ she thought.

Emily stood to join her daughter. "Well, you _and_ Luke. There's enough room for his daughter too. Now, I'm sure Luke will need some convincing. He doesn't look like the kind of man who willingly takes extravagant gifts from people but I thought-"

Lorelai started to cry. Never in a million years would she have guessed that her mother would accept her relationship with a person who wasn't of her stature. She would never be able to put into words how grateful she was for her parents at that moment. For once in her life, they weren't the ones keeping her from something she truly wanted. Anna's ultimatum to her was all she could think of and she couldn't make a decision on this house until she talked to Luke.

Luke sat at their kitchen table. His legs were stretched out in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest. There was a bottle of beer on the table in front of him, unopened. He watched as the condensation dripped down the side and onto the table cloth underneath it. All of a sudden, the front door opened and closed. He slowly sat up straight and held his breath. When Lorelai slowly rounded the corner into the kitchen, he sighed with relief. His head fell down into the palm of his hand, his finger tips rubbing his forehead gently. He finally looked up at her.

"Hi," he breathed. "I've been trying to call you."

She nodded, "I know. My phone died on my way to Hartford."

They stared at each other for a moment before Lorelai walked over and pulled out a chair to take a seat. She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She smoothed out the bottom of her dress over her knee and caught sight of her ringless hand. Her eyes met his. He looked exhausted and hurt. But most of all, he looked scared. She hadn't seen that look on him since the whole thing with April started. She wanted nothing more than to smooth his worry lines away but she didn't exactly know where they stood just yet.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice weak and tired.

"I told you. I went to Hartford," she answered softly.

"Before Hartford. When your mom called looking for you, it was after three o'clock."

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Woodbridge."

Luke opened his mouth to say something but then shut it closed. He shook his head slightly and stood up. After adjusting his baseball cap, he turned around to face her. "Why?"

She shrugged and looked up at him. "I couldn't…I _can't_ keep going on like this. The constant feeling of her intruding on what we have. I just wanted to tell her to back off." She sniffed as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Luke stepped forward and squatted down in front of her. He wiped away the tear with his thumb and Lorelai closed her eyes at the feel of his touch. He could tell there was more to the story so he waited for her to continue.

"I need you to know," she said, her voice cracking, "that I'm all in, Luke. I've always been all in. But I think you need to focus on your relationship with April. It's important. _She's_ important."

"Lorelai, what are you telling me?" he asked, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

She covered her face with her hands and started to cry. Luke stood and grabbed a paper towel off of the counter and knelt back in front of her. He gently pulled her hands away from her face and lightly blotted the napkin on her cheeks to dry the tears. He handed the napkin to her and she wiped her nose.

"I don't want to make you choose, Luke."

"What?" he asked in a whisper, taken aback. "Why would I choose anyone over you, Lorelai? I love you more than-"

"April?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I have to choose you over April?"

"You don't. I'll make it easy for you." She stood and started for the stairs.

Luke grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. He kissed her hungrily, pouring all his pent up emotion from the last two days into the kiss. She gave into him. He walked her backwards until her back was up against the wall next to the stairs. The Luke-induced fog started to clear once he began trailing wet kisses across her cheek and down her neck.

She pushed him off of her. "No. You're making this harder, Luke."

He stood in front of her with his hands on his hips, panting from a mixture of arousal and frustration. "I need you to tell me what the hell is going on. What did Anna tell you?"

Lorelai closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "My parents want to buy us a house. A huge house. Big enough for you, me, Paul Anka, Rory, and April. Only, it's a wedding present. And Anna said that if…" She was scared. She was scared that if she told him Anna's ultimatum, he would agree because he wouldn't want to risk losing April. She had to let him make that decision for himself. "She said that if we get married, you can't see April anymore."

She steeled herself for his reaction, refusing to open her eyes until he made clear that he wouldn't give up seeing his daughter he's known for just three months just to get married. She felt him move towards her, his fingers barely brushing the soft skin on her cheek. Her lip started to tremble as she leaned into his hand. She slowly opened her eyes and saw before her a sight she never would have imagined.

Luke was crying. Tears streamed down his face. His blue eyes watery with emotion.

"You are amazing and selfless and of _course_ I'm going to marry you, Lorelai."

Now it was her turn to cry. Again. She reached out with both hands to wipe his tears with her finger tips. "But what about April? Anna's not going to go down without a fight. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

"Lorelai, I couldn't have gotten through these last five months without you. We'll figure this out together. We'll get a lawyer. And you know how much I hate lawyers, so that should tell you how serious I am. I won't let her get away with keeping my kid from me. I'm not worried about Anna." He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out her engagement ring.

She laughed through her tears when she saw it. He grabbed her left hand and poised the ring at the tip of her ring finger.

"Just gotta tell you, before this thing goes back on," he said in a low voice, "you've got to realize that the only way out is in a bodybag."

She nodded and grinned. "Now we don't have to write our vows." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep, slow kiss.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know, I totally stole that line from AYITL, but come on. It's one of THE BEST L&L exchanges in the entire series, in my opinion of course. I hope this ending was gratifying. I'm leaving it somewhat open-ended (I may write a sequel. I haven't decided) but they are definitely together. Like Lorelai tells Anna, their relationship was built on friendship and I think that's very important. Things can get a little rocky but when you're as connected as the two of them are, you fight for what you want. Thanks again to all the people who followed/reviewed. I hope my version of season 6 left a better taste in your mouth than ASP's one :)


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